The election for mayor, senior deputy mayor, and deputy mayor of the Abohar Municipal Corporation was postponed on Friday evening following a day of intense political drama. Jalalabad SDM Kirpal Vir Singh, acting on behalf of the Ferozepur Divisional Commissioner, announced the deferment after the election process sparked a major controversy.
Political Background and Vote Count
The BJP had secured a clear majority in the 50-ward municipal corporation, winning 28 seats in the elections held earlier this year. The AAP won 20 wards, while the Congress and an Independent candidate each secured one seat. Abohar is the only municipal corporation in Punjab where the BJP achieved an absolute majority.
Earlier in the day, the AAP issued a press note from Chandigarh claiming it had taken control of the municipal corporation. Abohar AAP halqa in-charge and former MLA Arun Narang stated that Ganesh Sablania had been elected mayor, while Reshma Bai Kamboj and Kiran Nirania had been elected senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
AAP Claim and BJP Allegations
Narang claimed that five BJP councillors voted in favor of the AAP candidates during the mayoral election. He asserted that the AAP candidate received 27 votes: 20 from AAP councillors, five from BJP councillors, one from a Congress councillor, and one from an Independent councillor.
The purported declaration of results triggered strong protests from BJP leaders and workers, led by former state party president Sunil Jakhar and Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar. After several hours of high drama, the administration announced the postponement of the election.
Administration and Leaders' Response
Sources indicated that Sunil Jakhar held lengthy discussions with Ferozepur Divisional Commissioner Babita Kaler and Fazilka Deputy Commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu, alleging serious irregularities in the conduct of the election. “We gheraoed the officers and demanded all official election documents,” Sandeep Jakhar told The Tribune.
Sunil Jakhar accused the officers of failing to conduct the elections in a fair and transparent manner and of not respecting the public mandate given to the BJP. He displayed the proceedings register before the media and claimed that no proceedings had been recorded in it. “Therefore, there was no question of anyone being declared elected as mayor,” he alleged.
BJP workers also gheraoed the official vehicles of senior district officers, including that of Deputy Commissioner Sandhu.
Previous Postponement
Notably, the maiden meeting of the newly elected municipal corporation, originally scheduled for July 7, had also been postponed due to an “exigency,” as stated by Abohar SDM Kirpal Vir Singh.
