Amritsar, January 27 – Jatinder Singh Bhatia of the Aam Aadmi Party became the Mayor of Amritsar city on Monday.
A former Congressman now in AAP Jatinder Singh Bhatia has been elected as mayor of Amritsar amidst chaos.
Likewise, Priyanka Sharma has been elected senior deputy mayor and Anita Rani as Deputy Mayor. Both the candidates also belonged to AAP.
However the Congress party which was very hopeful to elect its own mayor remained failed to elects its candidate, accusing the AAP for using wrong means in mayoral elections.
Earlier, AAP had managed to secure a win in mayoral polls in Jalandhar and Ludhiana.
However, a majority of 46 councilors was required in Amritsar’s 85 wards to secure a win to appoint mayor in the Municipal Corporation, whereas Congress managed to fetch 40 seats.
After the elections of Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia and other two key positions senior deputy mayor and Deputy Mayor which were also retained by AAP, the frustrated Congress party launched a massive protest soon after the announcement. State Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of the opposition ( LOP) in the Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa organized a DHARNA outside the Government Medical College in Amritsar, where the meeting for mayor elections was held.
Accusing the State machinery led by AAP, LOP Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that the democratic system was badly ruined. He said that names of the mayor and other two key posts were announced without holding a proper voting process as they have chosen the mayor while raising their hands. The gross misuse of police machinery can’t be ruled out here. The party would approach the State High Court to seek justice.
AAP Punjab President Aman Arora expressed his heartfelt congratulations on this historic win. “Heartiest congratulations to AAP Punjab for winning the Amritsar Municipal Corporation by securing all three posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayor. This is a proud moment for the party and a responsibility to serve the holy city of Amritsar with dedication,” he tweeted.
In a press conference, Aman Arora said, “Today, AAP has been entrusted with the opportunity to serve the holy land of Guru Sahib. Our team will begin work immediately to transform Amritsar into a beautiful and well-developed city. The guarantees in our corporation manifesto will be implemented without delay. We extend our gratitude to the SAD councilors for their support.”
On this occasion, Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Harbhajan Singh ETO, MLAs Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Dr. Jasbir Singh, Jiwan jot Kaur, Dr. Ajay Gupta, Kunwar Vijay Partap and many AAP leaders were also present.
Newly elected Mayor Jatinder Singh Motia Bhatia thanked the AAP leadership and pledged to prioritize basic issues affecting the city. “Amritsar’s primary concerns, including cleanliness and sewerage problems, will be addressed immediately. I am grateful to the leadership and councilors for their faith in me,” he said.
