Jalandhar: One more BJP councillor joins AAP, number of seats reaches 45
Jalandhar: It is now official. The swearing-in ceremony of 85 municipal councillors and election of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor will be held on January 11 at the Red Cross Bhawan. A notification in this regard was issued on Wednesday by Patiala divisional commissioner Daljit S Mangat, who has also been given additional charge of Jalandhar division. Ahead of the event, the AAP continues with its “politics of manipulation” and is making every effort to increase its number of councillors every day. The party, which fell short by five councillors to touch the majority mark of 43 councillors, today also saw its seventh councillor joining the AAP in the post-poll phase. Ward number 17 councillor Satya Devi quit the BJP and joined the AAP. Her husband and former councillor Kripal Singh Pali also joined the AAP.
The process of joining the AAP began in the presence of local bodies minister Ravjot Singh, horticulture minister Mohinder Bhagat, AAP councillor Vaneet Dhir and AAP leader Kaku Ahluwalia. AAP leaders said that two more people are expected to join the party in the new Municipal Corporation House before the swearing-in ceremony. So far, three BJP, two Congress and two independent councillors have joined AAP. In the elections held on December 22, AAP got 38 councillors, while Congress got 25, BJP got 19, BSP got one and two independent councillors won. It is being told that the party is considering giving the post of senior deputy mayor to a Sikh councillor and the post of deputy mayor to a Scheduled Caste councillor to balance the caste equations in the municipal body.
