Chaos rules mayoral elections in city

Amid allegations of horse trading and flouting of the democratic process, mayoral elections were held at Red Cross Bhawan here this afternoon.

Despite the fact that the Aam Aadmi Party (AP) had roped in eight more councillors’ post in the December 21 elections to touch a comfortable figure of 46 in the 85-ward Municipal Corporation (MC), the party leadership was unsure that it would be able to sail through the mayoral polls.

For the same reason, the party had pressed all its councillors to reach Hotel Radisson by 11.30 am to ensure that they were all intact and could be taken together in a bus to the Red Cross Bhawan. All those, who did not reach the hotel on time, got repeated phone calls from party leaders to make it to the bhawan.

Councillor Amit Dhall and his cousin and Jalandhar (North) halqa in-charge Dinesh Dhall reached the hotel two hours late, that too after senior leadership kept them calling. Dhalls are learnt to be miffed over denial of any post to Amit. By the time Dinesh was brought to Red Cross Bhawan in a car of Local Bodies Minister Dr Ravjot Singh, the election process was already over. He did not even go inside the venue.

An Independent councillor Tarsem Lakhotra, who re-joined the AAP a few days ago, did not go to the hotel. While coming directly to the venue, he said, “I have decided to go Independent once again. I was lured back to the AAP with a promise for the post of Deputy Mayor, but they ditched me again.”

Interestingly, this was his second entry into the AAP and the second exit since July. A Congress councillor, he had joined the AAP during the Jalandhar (West) bypoll. He left the party last month as his name did not figure in the list of AAP candidates for the MC polls. After Lakhotra won the civic body elections as an Independent candidate, he was made to rejoin the AAP. Today, Lakhotra announced that he was Independent councillor once again.

In fact, Lakhotra entered and left Red Cross Bhawan accompanied by Congress MLA Bawa Henry. “He even sat with us at the venue, but was taken away to the AAP side by its leaders,” Congress councillor Jasleen Sethi said.

The AAP women councillors were also clearly miffed today. “Our party could not find a single suitable woman face for any one of the top three posts, despite 44 women making it to the MC House,” said a party insider. Ward No. 11 councillor Karamjeet Kaur, whose name had earlier been finalised for the post of Senior Deputy Mayor, was replaced by her husband Balbir Bittu, a three-time councillor, who was considered an experienced hand.

Meanwhile, AAP zonal secretary Rajwinder Thiara termed all the allegations baseless. “The election process was conducted very smoothly in the presence of all administration officials. Though women have not got a chance for any top post in the MC, they will be adjusted on other posts in government departments. The allegations of horse trading among others levelled by the Opposition have no truth behind them.” She also maintained that councillor Lakhotra was still with the AAP.