RAJA ELECTED JALANDHAR MAYOR
5time councillor makes it to the top post in the civic body; Surinder Kaur is senior deputy mayor
JALANDHAR: Five-time councillor Jagdish Raja, 63, was unanimously elected as the new mayor of Jalandhar on Thursday.
Earlier, there were speculations that the Congress high command will make a last-minute change in its choice for the city mayor as local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu along with 17 councillors had skipped the swearing-in ceremony of Amritsar mayor on January 23.
The swearing-in ceremony of Jalandhar councillors was organised at the office of the municipal corporation (MC) here, and presided over by divisional commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary and MC commissioner Basant Garg.
City’s four MLAS namely Avtar Singh Junior (north), Sushil Kumar Rinku (west), Pargat Singh (Cantonment) and Rajinder Beri (central) were present at the event.
After the 80 councillors were sworn in, MLA Beri proposed Raja’s name, which was unanimously accepted. Raja was then declared as the new mayor by the commissioner amid thumping of desks and pro-congress slogans.
Surinder Kaur, a four-time councillor from Ward 39, was elected as senior deputy mayor while two-time councillor Harsimranjit Singh Bunty from Ward 44 was elected as deputy mayor.
BIG RESPONSIBILITY, SAYS NEW MAYOR
Speaking on the occasion, Raja said, “I’m thankful to the party high command and the public for giving me this opportunity. It is a big responsibility as Jalandhar MC is currently facing a financial crunch and piles of pending projects. I will try to live up to the expectations of city residents.”
Asked about his priority projects, Raja said he would first hold a meeting with the councillors and make a list of the projects that need to be addressed first.
Meanwhile, observers here feel that Raja’s election as mayor will not only give an impetus to his 25-year political career, but will also trigger development of Jalandhar (central) constituency, which will directly benefit MLA Beri.
Though both senior deputy mayor Surinder Kaur and deputy mayor Bunty represent the Jalandhar (west) constituency, they both do not have good relations with MLA (west) Rinku, who was reportedly backing his councillor wife Sunita Rinku for any of the three top posts in the MC.
Also, MLA Pargat Singh who was secretly lobbying for the fourth-time councillor and his close aide Balraj Thakur for the mayoral post failed to get him elected for senior deputy or deputy mayor’s posts.
KNOW THE MAYOR
Raja, who had entered into politics around 25 years ago had become first-time councillor in 1992. He was later elected as councillor in 1997, 2007 and 2012. Being a leader of opposition in MC, he remained an active member of the party in the municipal affairs.
He shares good relations with Jalandhar (central) MLA Rajinder Beri and Jalandhar (north) MLA Avtar Singh Junior, who had reportedly recommended his name for the post to the high command.
The Congress had won 65 seats of the total 80 in the Jalandhar MC polls held on December 17, while the SAD-BJP combine could secure only 13 seats (BJP 8, SAD 5). The remaining two had gone to the independent candidates. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had contested 42 wards, drew a blank.
THE CONGRESS HAD WON 65 SEATS OF THE TOTAL 80 IN THE JALANDHAR MC POLLS HELD ON DECEMBER 17, WHILE THE SADBJP COMBINE COULD SECURE ONLY 13 SEATS