It is official now. The oath ceremony of 85 Municipal Corporation councillors and the election of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be held at Red Cross Bhawan on January 11.

A notification in this regard was issued on Wednesday by Daljit S Mangat, Divisional Commissioner of Patiala, who has been given the additional charge of the Jalandhar Division too.

Ahead of the event, AAP is continuing with 'jod-tod ki rajneeti', making all-out efforts to increase the strength of its councillors each day. The party, which had fallen short of five councillors to touch the majority figure of 43, today saw the joining of seventh councillor in the post-poll phase. Satya Devi, councillor from Ward no. 17, left the BJP and joined AAP. Her husband and ex-councillor Kirpal Singh Pali too joined AAP.

The joining took place in the presence of Local Bodies Minister Ravjot Singh, Horticulture Minister Mohinder Bhagat, AAP councillor Vaneet Dhir and AAP leader Kaku Ahluwalia. The AAP leaders said two more joinings were expected in the party in the new MC House ahead of the oath-taking ceremony.

So far, three councillors from the BJP, two from the Congress and two Independents have joined AAP. In the December 22 elections, AAP had got 38 councillors, the Congress 25, BJP 19, BSP one and Independents two.

The party is learnt to be contemplating to give the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor to a Sikh councillor and Deputy Mayor to an SC councillor, to balance out caste equations in the civic body.