Rift in Cong over Bhikhiwind nagar panchayat chief’s seat

TWO OF THE TOTAL 11 COUNCILLORS HAVE THREATENED TO APPROACH HC ‘UNFAIR’ ELECTION OF COMMITTEE’S PRESIDENT

TARN TARAN: Fissures have emerged in the ruling Congress over the election of Bhikhiwind nagar panchayat’s president with two party councillors threatening to approach Punjab and Haryana high court over the ‘unfair’ election of the committee’s chief.

On Saturday, councillor from ward number 4, Rajinder Kumar alias Babbu Sharma, was elected as the committee’s president in presence of Khemkaran MLA Sukhpal Singh Bhullar and Bhikhiwind subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Rajesh Sharma.

Out of the total 13 wards of the nagar panchayat, the Congress won 11 seats while the victory on two other wards was established by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidates. The election was held in February.

Two of the 11 Congress councillors — Sukhpal Singh alias Gabria and Sakattar Singh Daliri — and two SAD councillors had boycotted the election of the committee’s chief. Both the rebellious Congress councillors have alleged that the MLA had “killed the democracy” by forcing the other councillors to vote for Babbu Sharma. The duo has also claimed that the MLA had promised to give them higher representations in the committee. “I have been working in the Congress for the last 20 years. I live in ward number 12 while MLA Bhullar had asked me to contest the election from ward number 3 where SAD’s senior leader Virsa Singh Thekedar was my contender. I won the election with a margin of more than 100 votes. No one from the Congress was willing to fight against Thekedar. Before the election, the MLA had promised me the committee’s president post,”

Gabria said.

“On Saturday, the majority was in the favour of me and Daliri as we had gathered seven councillors. But the MLA mounted pressure on other councillors, mostly women, to elect Babbu Sharma. Following this, I and Daliri had boycotted the election. Many of the councillors wanted either me or Daliri to be the president. The MLA has taken bribes from Babbu. We have also informed the party high command about the MLA’s excesses. Now, we are planning to approach the Punjab and Haryana high court to cancel the unfair election of the president,” he claimed. “I supported Sukhpal Bhullar during his MLA’s election. He promised to elect me as the committee’s chief in public gatherings. However, on Saturday, the MLA betrayed me,” said Daliri, former president of the Bhikhiwind arhtiya association. The MLA, however, said, “Both the councillors are lying. Their action is just for their personal gain. The election of the president was held in free and fair manner.”