AAP gets posts of president, sen vice-prez in Sangrur civic body

More than four months after elections to the Sangrur municipal council, municipal councillors (MCs) of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were declared elected president, senior vice-president and vice-president of the council at a meeting of the newly elected councillors here today.

In the elections, Sunam MLA Aman Arora and Sangrur MLA Narinder Kaur Bharaj participated as ex officio members.

Meanwhile, some MCs of the opposition, including the Congress, alleged that the elections were not held in a transparent manner as the voting for these posts was not held and the MCs of the AAP were declared elected president, senior vice-president and vice-president in an arbitrary manner at the meeting convened by the convener-cum-Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Sangrur.

After coming out of the meeting hall, they also raised slogans against the Punjab Government.

Talking to The Tribune, Charanjot Singh Walia, convener-cum-SDM, Sangrur, said the president, senior vice-president and vice-president were elected by way of raising of hands for the purpose of voting. He said the elections were held as per rules and in a transparent manner. He said Bhupinder Singh (AAP) became president of the Sangrur MC as he defeated his rival candidate of the Congress Nathu Lal Dhingra by a margin of nine votes. Bhupinder got 18 votes, while Dhingra obtained nine votes, he added.

The SDM further said that for the post of the senior vice-president a woman councillor of the AAP, Preet, emerged victorious by securing 11 votes, while the Congress candidate for the post Surinder Singh got nine votes. However, Krishan Lal of the AAP was elected vice-president of the council as he obtained 10 votes.

Balvir Kaur Saini and Nathu Lal Dhingra, both MCs of the Congress, alleged that the elections were not held in a transparent manner as the AAP councilors were declared elected in violation of the rules of the Punjab Municipal Act. They also said that no voting was held for any post. Rather the convener-cum-SDM announced the names of three MCs of the AAP as president, senior vice-president and vice-president in an arbitrary manner. Satinder Kumar Saini, an independent councillor, also expressed his resentment over the matter.

Punjab