Amritsar, Patiala to get mayors on Jan 23, Jalandhar on Jan 25

Ruling party has brute majority in the three corporations to which elections were held on Dec 17

January 25 (Thursday), all three newly elected Houses of municipal corporations in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala will have mayors and other office-bearers.

In Amritsar, municipal commissioner Sonali Giri has called the first meeting of the House on January 23 (Tuesday) when elections will be held.

Of 85 seats, the Congress has 64 seats.

The mayor will be from the general category, putting paid to any hopes of a Dalit face leading the civic body, sources within the party said.

Punjab rural development and panchayat minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa who headed the screening committee that finalised candidates during the polls will be in town for the next two days.

He will recommend names of the mayor and the other officebearers to the top state leadership of the Congress.

Leaders in the party said, on the condition of anonymity fearing persecution, that this reduces Tuesday’s elections in the House to a farce.

Congress candidate in 2012 assembly polls from Amritsar (North) Karamjit Singh Rintu is the frontrunner for the post of mayor.

Others in the fray are leader of opposition in the previous House Rajkanwal Preet Singh Lucky; Congress’ state woman president Mamata Dutta; Damandeep Singh and Raman Bakhshi.

IN JALANDHAR, RAJA MAIN CONTENDER

JALANDHAR: Five-time councillor Jagdish Raja is tipped to be the mayor. Sources said that a committee led by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has finalised his name.

Besides the four MLAs from the city, state education minister Aruna Chaudhary will also attend the mayoral swearing-in ceremony on January 25 (Thursday).

Sources said the high command had also considered the name of four-time councillor Balraj Thakur for the mayor’s post.

“If elected mayor, my priority will be completing pending projects,” Jagdish Raja said.

DHARAMSOT TO MEET COUNCILLORS

Punjab minister for forests and social welfare Sadhu Singh Dharamsot will meet councillors to arrive at a consensus on the name of the new city mayor. Sources, though, maintained that the name of Preneet Kaur’s protégé, Sanjiv Sharma Bittu, the leader of opposition in the previous house, has been finalised for the post of mayor.

The two posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are likely to be taken by councillors from health minister Brahm Mohindra’s camp.

Two-time women councillors — Leela Rani and Kamlesh Kumar — are also in the fray for the mayor or senior deputy mayor.

Three-time councillors Krishan Chand Budhu, Amarbir Kaur Bedi, Leela Rani, and firsttime councillor Yoginder Singh Yogi, Harvinder Shukla and Meenakshi Singla (wife of former councillor Gopal Singla and a relative of Congress MLA Vijayinder Singla) are also in the hunt.

If the mayor’s post goes to the SC category, Maya Devi, ward 47 councillor, is the top contender.

For the post of deputy mayor, former councillor Sanjiv Happy Verma’s wife Rajni Sharma and Youth Congress leader Richie Dakala are the front-runners.

MINISTERS AND THE LEGISLATORS FROM RESPECTIVE AREAS HAVE BEEN DEPUTED TO ‘MANAGE’ THE MAYORAL POLLS AS PARTY WANTS SMOOTH TAKEOVER