MC polls: AAP fumes over not being consulted in ward delimitation
AMRITSAR:Ahead of municipal corporation (MC) elections in Punjab, expected to be held this year, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members are enraged as the state government is not giving representation to the party in the process of delimitation of the wards.
The leadership of AAP, debutant in the civic body elections in the state, has already announced to contest the elections.
But the committees formed to entertain complaints regarding delimitation lacks representation of the main opposition party in the state.
The committees have representatives of Congress, SAD and BJP. The AAP leaders have termed the act of depriving their representation as discrimination with them.“It is unfair to not involve AAP in the delimitation process,” said Bholath MLA and Opposition leader in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sukhpal Singh Khaira. “The AAP has 22 legislatures in the Vidhan Sabha here and is the main Opposition party.
This is happening across state and the authorities concerned should take serious note of the same,” said Khaira. He said letters will be written to the respective DCs in this regard.
The AAP has two councillors in Amritsar — Surinder Singh Sultanwind of SAD and independent Amarjit Singh Bhatia. Both had joined AAP before the last state assembly elections. Claiming its representation in the MC House, the AAP members are reportedly annoyed over not being accommodated in the holy city, where the process of delimitation is in full swing and the number of wards is expected to rise from 65 to 70.
To raise their concern, a delegation of the party’s local leaders, led by AAP Urban president Suresh Sharma, met Amritsar DC Kamaldeep Singh Sangha and MC commissioner Gurloveleen Singh Sidhu with a memorandum, on Friday.
The officials said that only the state government has the right to redress their grievances in this regard.
“We were asked to take up the issue with Punjab local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu as the matter falls under his portfolio, but we will not do so,” said Sharma.
Senior leader Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that they have made the party’s state leadership aware of the whole situation and have also urged them to resolve the issue as soon as possible.