Nawanshahr MC vice-prez poll put off, Cong cries foul

The much-awaited election to the post of vice-president of the Nawanshahr Municipal Committee was postponed at the last moment on Tuesday. The Balachaur SDM was stated to be unwell and unable to conduct the proceedings.

The postponement, however, annoyed Congress leaders, who alleged that the election had been put off as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party failed to build consensus on any councillor’s name.

There are 19 wards in the MC with the 20th vote vested with BSP MLA Nachhatar Pal. Of the 20 voters, one councillor had passed away. The Congress has nine councillors, of whom one is currently abroad. The SAD has three, AAP has four and BSP has two councillors and one is Independent.

The election is important even as just one year of the MC tenure is left. Owing to the defunct MC, the condition of the roads has been deteriorating and garbage lifting has been erratic. It has been over three years since the MC chief Sachin Dewan of the Congress had been placed under suspension. The vice-president relinquished his term of one year and no election has been held to the post even though the Director Local Bodies had passed orders in this regard in September 2022.

Ever since the Executive Officer of the MC had been conducting meetings and works worth Rs 1 crore had been cleared by him through House meetings. The Congress councillors had taken the matter to the court. The party councillors, led by ex-MLA Angad Saini, lodged a protest on Tuesday over the cancellation of election. He alleged that the administration was playing into the hands of the AAP and was deliberately stalling the election. He even went live on social media taking up the matter with the administration. Akali councillors also joined him in the protest.

On January 18, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered, “No such power was vested with the EO whereby he becomes enabled to convene a meeting of the MC”. The court had ordered that the EO was empowered only to conduct the administrative functions of the court and the proceedings embarked are required to be quashed and set aside.

The court had ordered that the election to the post of vice-president be conducted for convening the House meetings. But the HC order has not been implemented in two months.