Shot in arm for BJP ahead of mayoral election in Ambala

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, December 5

With the induction of Vijay Chaudhary Tony, a member of Ward 4 of the Ambala Municipal Corporation, into the BJP, ahead of the polls for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the saffron party has further strengthened its position as it has now 10 members in the 20-member House. The poll is scheduled for December 8.

The election of the House members and the Mayor was conducted in December 2020 and the newly elected Mayor and the members were administered oath in January last year. But the elections of the two key posts were pending.

Following the delay in the poll, a case was filed by the House members in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the government had given its reply that the election process would be completed before December 10.

Initially, in the 20-member House, the BJP and the Haryana Jan Chetna Party (HJP), had eight members each. Two members belonged to the Congress and two to the HDF. After the HDF merged with AAP, the two members (Rubi Sauda and Vijay Choudhary) didn’t join the latter. However, on Saturday, Rubi Sauda and on Monday Vijay Chaudhary Tony joined the BJP, taking its tally to 10 in the House. Mayor Shakti Rani Sharma belongs to the HJP.

Rubi was helped by the BJP in saving her membership in the House after she remained absent following a criminal case registered against her. Meanwhile, Tony said he was impressed with the working style of Home Minister Anil Vij and development work being carried out by the BJP in Ambala. “I have the experience and I will use it for the party and in resolving public issues in the Municipal Corporation,” he added.

Anil Vij and Aseem Goel said Tony would get all due respect in the party.

Mithun Verma, a member from the Congress, said, “Both posts are very crucial, but are lying vacant. In their absence, important sub-committees can’t be constituted, which is hampering development works and also promoting corrupt practices. Congress members will play a crucial role in the election and we will discuss the strategy with our leader Kumari Selja and take further action accordingly.”