Cong councillors gear up to remove mayor
AMRITSAR : Congress councillors in Amritsar are gearing up to remove mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, who had left the party and joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after being overlooked during ticket distribution for Punjab assembly elections.
On Friday, 53 councillors submitted a letter to MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi, demanding an emergency meeting to bring a no-confidence motion against Rintu. The commissioner has passed on the demand to the mayor and secretary, local government.
As per sources, Rintu may delay the meeting till March 10 (counting day), in the hope that his removal will be stalled if the AAP comes to power in the state. The councillors, on the other hand, want the meeting to be held before the poll results are declared. On Saturday, 43 councillors gave an ultimatum to the mayor and commissioner to call a meeting by March 4. “Take notice, if your good self fails to convene such special requisition meeting of the House by March 4, the House shall have the right to convene the meeting under the chairmanship of eligible person decided by the councillors on next working day i.e. March 7 at 3.00 pm,” the letter read.
The numbers game
As per the rules, the presence of two-thirds majority of councillors is required to remove the mayor. The Amritsar MC House has 85 councillors. The Congress initially had a strength of 64, but 10 defected during the assembly elections. The party is now left with 54 councillors. Five MLAS whose constituencies fall within the MC limits can also vote. All are currently represented by the Congress. Senior party leaders claim they also have the support of five Independents, and thus would face no problem.
The SAD, which initially had seven members, now has a strength of 14. The BJP has six, Independents are eight in number, while the AAP has three.
Among those eyeing the mayoral seat are district planning board chairman Raj Kanwal Preetpal Singh Lucky, senior deputy mayor Raman Bakshi, councillors Vikas Soni and Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia. While Soni is the nephew of deputy CM OP Soni, Bhatia is a loyalist of the Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu. Bakshi is close to minister Raj Kumar Verka. On the other hand, Lucky, who was the leader of Opposition in the previous House, actively participant in dharnas against the three farm laws in New Delhi.