AAP-majority Kharar MC ousts SAD chief in no-confidence vote
Four years after the municipal council (MC) elections in Kharar, 18 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors, along with local MLAs Anmol Gagan Maan and Charanjeet Singh, ousted MC president Jaspreet Kaur Longia of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) through a no-confidence motion during the council meeting on Friday.
The Kharar MC has representation of two MLAs - Anmol Gagan Maan from Kharar and Dr Charanjeet Singh from Chamkaur Sahib.
The AAP councillors tabled the no-confidence motion against Longia. Of the total 27 councillors, only 21 attended the meeting, including all 18 AAP members and three from the Opposition, including the president herself.
As per the Punjab Municipal Act, once a no-confidence motion is approved in the House, the president ceases to hold office.
The municipal council elections held on February 17, 2021, resulted in a hung house — with the Congress winning 10 seats, SAD eight, AAP one, and Independents securing eight. Subsequently, SAD, with support from Independent councillors, had succeeded in electing Longia as the council president.
However, on September 23, 2022, eight Congress councillors, six Independents, and one SAD councillor joined AAP, giving the party a majority with 18 councillors.
Executive officer (EO) of the Kharar municipal council, Gurbakshish Singh Sandhu, confirmed that the no-confidence motion was passed during the meeting on Friday.
'We have already sent the proceedings to the local bodies department for approval. We are hopeful of receiving the approval by May 19, after which we will call a House meeting to elect the new president,' he said.
The political turmoil escalated on May 5, when the 18 councillors submitted a written request to the EO, seeking a special meeting to introduce a no-confidence motion against Longia. The letter, signed collectively, cited a loss of confidence in her leadership, claiming that she no longer enjoys majority support.
The councillors invoked the provisions of the Punjab Municipal Act and urged the EO to convene a meeting without delay to discuss and vote on the motion. As per procedure, Longia was given an opportunity to prove her majority during the session.
The 27-member Kharar MC House currently comprises 18 AAP councillors, followed by five from SAD, two from Congress and two independent councillors.
Reacting to the development, SAD leader Ranjit Gill alleged, 'This is complete dictatorship by the AAP government. They are toppling elected representatives from councils and corporations. People are witnessing their high-handed tactics. They have been exposed.'
Former Dera Bassi MLA and senior SAD leader NK Sharma added, 'AAP is misusing government machinery. They are intimidating councillors who support SAD by sending police to their homes and workplaces, pressuring them to switch sides.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘This month, it will be done': Al Green issues bold impeachment warning to Trump
Congressman Al Green has reignited the push to impeach Donald Trump, vowing a floor vote this month on articles of impeachment. Calling Trump an'authoritarian president,' Green declared Congress the 'court of last resort.' He cited Trump's defiance of the Supreme Court and control over the GOP as key threats to democracy. Pledging peaceful protest, litigation, and legislation, Green warned: 'This is a moral imperative. Impeachment is coming and it will be done.' Show more Show less
Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
MCD's Standing Committee polls: BJP, AAP file nominations
With the elections for the two key posts of MCD's Standing Committee slated to be held on June 12, the AAP and the ruling BJP named their candidates for the posts of chairperson and deputy chairperson on Friday. The Standing Committee is an 18-member body, which gives the go-ahead for civic services costing Rs 5 crore and above. Due to a tussle between the AAP and the BJP, its formation was in limbo since the December 2022 MCD elections. However, this week, with the election of all 18 members, the formation process inched closer to completion. The BJP has filed the nominations of councillors Satya Sharma and Sunder Singh for the posts of chairperson and deputy chairperson. Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh and Leader of the House Parvesh Wahi, were present. From the AAP, Praveen Kumar has filed nominations for the posts of chairperson and Mohini Jeenwal for the post of deputy chairperson. Leader of Opposition Ankush Narang said that they have given preference to their senior-most councillors for the nomination. The BJP has 11 councillors in the standing committee, the AAP has 7. The BJP has 11 councillors in the standing committee, the AAP has 7. 'It is a matter of joy for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that the Standing Committee is being constituted, which will strengthen development within the Corporation. He further said that in the absence of the Standing Committee, significant development projects could not be planned, but now all members will work positively and provide enhanced civic amenities to the people of Delhi,' Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Uttam vows to fight for Telangana's fair share in Krishna waters
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N on Friday said the Congress govt has been making every effort to stall the Andhra Pradesh govt from illegally utilising Krishna waters. He asserted that the state govt would go to any extent to protect Telangana's rights over river waters. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking about the Godavari-Banakcherla link scheme, under which the AP govt plans to divert the floodwaters from Godavari, the minister said Telangana govt wrote several letters to Union minister of Jal Shakti CR Patil and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, objecting to the neighbouring state's proposal. He said that the scheme violates the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) tribunal award as well as the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. He dismissed the allegations of the BRS that the state govt was not doing anything to stall the irrigation scheme. "The state govt received a letter from Jal Shakti minister CR Patil last week, who said the Andhra Pradesh govt has not yet submitted a detailed proposal for the Godavari-Banakacherla river linking scheme. He assured the Telangana govt that once the proposal is received from the AP govt, the Central Water Commission (CWC) would examine it in accordance with the existing guidelines, tribunal and inter-state agreements and various provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, and would take appropriate action," Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters. He added that the Telangana govt had brought to the notice of the Centre by writing multiple letters that the AP govt was proceeding with calling tenders and awarding contracts for the project, thereby flouting several norms. He urged the Centre not to fund the project and appealed to BJP ministers and MPs from Telangana to cooperate with the state govt on the issue. The minister accused the BRS of doing injustice to Telangana by agreeing to a water-sharing agreement of 299 TMC for Telangana and 512 TMC for AP in Krishna river since 2015. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "It was Congress govt that opposed it and has been asking for 700 TMC for Telangana," Uttam said. The minister further alleged that the BRS govt failed to stop the neighbouring state when it altered the scope of ongoing projects and proposed new schemes to divert the Krishna water. "While 727 TMC of water was utilised outside the Srisailam project during the previous Congress rule between 2004 and 2014, the diversion rose to over 1,250 TMC between 2014 and 2023, as per the official figures," Uttam Kumar Reddy said while giving the various schemes such as Pothireddypadu head regulator and other schemes. He accused the BRS govt of helping the Andhra Pradesh govt led by Jaganmohan Reddy earlier to take up the Rayalaseem Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) and even asked the Centre to postpone the Apex council meeting to allow the AP to complete tendering process in 2020. The minister said that had the BRS govt not spent an additional Rs 68,000 crore on Kaleshwaram and instead allocated funds to other irrigation schemes, the state could have brought an additional 25 lakh acres under irrigation.
