Amritsar mayoral poll: Cong seeks repoll, says AAP ‘abused’ power to secure win

A Congress delegation on Tuesday called on Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, demanding that the Amritsar mayoral poll be held again. The party accused Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party of “abusing power” to win the contest.

“The Constitution of India guarantees free and fair elections but what transpired during the Amritsar Municipal Corporation poll was a direct affront to these foundational values,” said state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

“The AAP government, through administrative interference, blatantly manipulated the democratic process, denying the people of Amritsar their rightful representation,” he told reporters after party leaders submitted a memorandum over the demand to Kataria.

The delegation included the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, OP Soni, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, and Tript Rajinder Bajwa. The Congress also demanded an immediate and impartial inquiry into the role of the local administration and the AAP government in the poll process. “This is a case of an outright abuse of power by the government. The use of administrative machinery to subvert the will of elected representatives not only undermines democracy but also erodes public trust in our institutions,” Warring said.

The elections held on Monday were marred by controversy as AAP secured victory against the Congress, the largest party in the 85-member MC House.

As soon as the Municipal Corporation House convened for the elections, the members were told to raise their hands if they supported the AAP candidates, according to Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders. The Congress members alleged that AAP claimed victory even without proper counting.The Congress claimed that they had the support of 41 members against AAP’s 24 councillors. A total of 92 votes, including seven of the local MLAs, who are ex-officio members of the House and eligible to vote in the polls, were to be counted.

AAP said they secured a majority with the support of four SAD councillors. Earlier, seven independents and two BJP councillors had joined AAP, taking its tally to 33. With the support of its seven MLAs, AAP had 40 votes before the elections. The state’s ruling party said two Congress councillors were absent, weakening their numbers. The party also slammed the Congress and the BJP for “not nominating mayoral candidates”.