15 AAP councillors elected ‘unopposed’ to Patiala MC

In a significant development ahead of the December 21 civic body elections, 15 councillors from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have been elected unopposed to the Patiala Municipal Corporation due to the absence of Opposition candidates.

With a majority mark of 31 in the 60-member House, AAP needs another 16 councillors to secure control of the MC.

As the political drama unfolds, the stakes remain high for both AAP and the Opposition.

The councillors elected unopposed include Sonia Rani (Ward 1), Jagdeed Singh Rai (Ward 12), Paramjit Singh (Ward 17), Ranjit Singh Chandok (Ward 32), Geeta Devi (Ward 33), Harpreet Singh (Ward 36), Amanpreet Singh (Ward 41), Ramanpreet Kaur Jhony Kohli (Ward 43), Gursharan Singh (Ward 44), Meena Devi (Ward 45), Rajesh Kumar Raju Sahni (Ward 48), Harmanjeet Singh (Ward 50), Kiran Ahuja (Ward 51), Sagar Dhaliwal (Ward 52) and Honey Luthra (Ward 56).

In addition to the Patiala MC, AAP has swept local bodies across the district. All councillors in Sanaur Municipal Council (15 wards), Devigarh nagar panchayat (13 wards) and Ghanaur nagar panchayat (11 wards) were elected unopposed.

The Opposition accused the ruling party of electoral malpractice. BJP mahila morcha chief Jai Inder Kaur filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW) alleging that their women candidates were assaulted and their nomination papers were torn outside the District Collector’s office.

The Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa accused AAP of intimidation and violating the model code of conduct.

“The Opposition candidates have been physically harassed and their nomination papers were either snatched or rejected,” alleged Bajwa.