Four more join AAP, ruling party confident of getting its Mayor elected
As the swearing-in ceremony of the elected councillors and the House meeting, which is most likely to take place on January 14 is approaching near, the Aam Aadmi Party has reached out to 47 members. Though it is one short of halfway mark of 48 to prove majority, with all seven MLAs belonging to AAP, it has completed its numbers as MLAs are ex-officio members and part of the House and are also allowed to vote. If the MLAs vote, 52 votes would be required to prove majority and after new joining, AAP will reach the number 54.
Ahead of the Mayoral elections, four more councillors have joined AAP on Friday and earlier, two councillors had joined the party. With this, now it’s number has reached 47.
Those who joined AAP on Friday include Independent candidate Ratanjit Kaur from Ward 1 and Congress councillors Jagmeet Noni from Ward 42 and Paramjit Kaur from Ward 45. BJP councillor Anita from Ward 21 has also joined AAP.
Earlier, Independent candidate Deepa Rani Chaudhary from Ward 11 had joined AAP and Congress councillor from Ward 6 Jagdish Lal had also joined the ruling party.
SAD councillor Chatarveer Singh had also joined AAP but returned to SAD. He alleged that he was pressured to join AAP.
After all candidates take the oath, the Mayor will be elected. The party with the highest number of seats will be offered to form the House.
Ludhiana has 95 wards and AAP has won 41 seats and is short of seven seats to prove majority. In addition to 95 councillors, there are also seven urban MLAs, who are ex-officio members and part of the House and are also allowed to vote. In case votes of all seven urban MLAs (all are from AAP) are added, the total members will be 102 (95 councillors plus seven MLAs) and 52 members would be required to elect the new Mayor. In this situation, AAP has completed its members to prove their majority in the House and get its Mayor elected.
A senior AAP leader from Ludhiana said they had completed the numbers and are, in fact, two more than the required members, as the MLAs would also vote during the House meeting for the Mayoral elections. “We are ready and will form the House and get our Mayor elected,” he said.
The post of Mayor in Ludhiana has been reserved for woman and the names from AAP that are making rounds are Amrit Varsha Rampal, Principal Inderjeet Kaur, Nidhi Gupta, Nandini Jairath, Maninder Kaur Ghuman and advocate Mehak Chadha.
Elections to the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation were held on December 21. Of the 95 wards, the ruling AAP had won 41 seats, Congress 30, the BJP 19, Shiromani Akali Dal two and Independents had bagged three seats.
