Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh on Wednesday claimed that four newly elected Independent candidates will support the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in electing the Mayor of the Mohali Municipal Corporation, adding that they may also join the party.
Current House Composition
As many as 27 councillors of AAP won the recently held municipal corporation election in the 50-member house. The house also comprises four Independents, 12 Congress councillors, four Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillors, and three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors.
MLA's Statement
Talking to mediapersons, MLA Kulwant Singh said that sometimes it is difficult to allot tickets to every deserving candidate, which is why a few contest elections as Independents. He expressed confidence that these Independents will support AAP in the Mayor's election and may eventually join the party.
Internal Rivalry for Mayor Post
The realtor-turned-politician is lobbying for his son Sarabjeet Samana, Ward 42 councillor, for the post of Mayor. The other frontrunner for the post is AAP general secretary Sunny Ahluwalia, who won from Ward 6.
The MLA hosted newly elected candidates at his house for a breakfast meeting on Tuesday in a show of strength just before the party leadership calls a crucial meeting. Notably, Ahluwalia and another contender, Sukhdev Patwari, were not present at the meeting.
Power Dynamics
While the father-son duo holds clout over the newly elected councillors, Ahluwalia is banking on his strong presence in the party setup and proximity to the top leadership. Kulwant anticipated that the party may call a meeting of newly elected councillors next week to discuss the matter, as it is mandatory to elect the Mayor within 15 days of the declaration of results.
