Fewer seats but AAP wins Phagwara mayor polls, Congress cries foul

Tejpal Basra, a councillor who joined the AAP aft leaving the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) earlier successful the day, was elected elder lawman politician portion Vipan Krishna was elected lawman mayor.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier appointed retired justice Habans Lal arsenic an autarkic perceiver for the mayoral elections.

In the past month’s municipal polls, the Congress had won 22 seats and AAP 12. Congress had formed an confederation with the BSP, which secured 3 seats taking their associated tally to 25. Phagwara Assembly conception is represented by Congress MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal and helium is eligible to ballot successful the mayoral polls. Additionally, Congress had besides secured the enactment of 4 autarkic councillors soon aft the results were declared connected December 21, 2024.

A batch of chaos was witnessed successful Phagwara mayoral elections arsenic earlier 21 councillors of Congress had secured pre-arrest bail apprehending being implicated successful mendacious and fabricated cases. The mayoral polls were earlier scheduled for January 25, but had to beryllium postponed.

After the mayoral elections were announced, the Congress accused the AAP of violating the norms of democracy. The Congress councillors and their supporters raised slogans against the AAP-led Punjab authorities successful a objection held extracurricular the Public Work Department Rest House.

Meanwhile, AAP authorities main Aman Arora congratulated the recently elected bureau bearers and emphasized that the determination to elite an AAP politician reflects the councillors’ absorption connected Phagwara’s improvement implicit enactment politics. “This triumph is simply a effect of the hard enactment of our dedicated enactment workers. The councillors person prioritized the city’s development, putting speech governmental differences,” Arora said, expressing gratitude to the councillors from different parties who cross-voted. Addressing media, Arora, flanked by AAP leaders Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Dr Sunny Ahluwalia, highlighted that AAP had secured a wide bulk successful 41 retired of the 46 municipalities, councils, and panchayats successful the precocious held elections crossed Punjab.

Addressing the radical of Phagwara, Arora said, “I privation to guarantee the radical of Phagwara that present it is our work to prioritize the improvement of Phagwara supra enactment politics.

“I besides entreaty to councillors from absorption parties not to consciousness disheartened reasoning that their party’s politician is not successful power. You tin bring your issues to our mayor, and helium volition resoluteness them arsenic well. We judge successful inclusive development,” helium added.

Arora said that the 5 “guarantees” promised to the radical of Phagwara during the elections volition beryllium implemented.