Bathinda: The absence of party Bathinda MLA Jagroop Singh Gill from a roadshow by chief minister Bhagwant Mann and party national convener Arvind Kejriwal in his constituency on Friday has given way to murmurs, and many raised eyebrows. However, the way newly-elected mayor Padamjit Singh Mehta and his father Amarjit Singh Mehta were given respectable space in the specially decked vehicle has given air to the speculations that the party may think about changing the candidate in the upcoming polls.
Amarjit Singh Mehta was given space in the front row in the vehicle, along with Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. Some slogans were raised that mayor Padamjit Mehta should be the next MLA, and party's top bosses seemed comfortable with it.
Even as Mehtas were given prominent space, the local MLA was not even contacted, as the MLA himself confirmed it in a chat with TOI. MLA Jagroop Singh had spoken about the party only recently after his supporters were denied party tickets for Bathinda Municipal Corporation elections.
Speaking to TOI, Jagroop Singh Gill said, "No party official contacted me for the roadshow, but I am still the soldier of the party." On giving ample space to Mehtas, Gill, though, said it is the prerogative of the party.
AAP Punjab president Aman Arora, when contacted, said that the sitting MLA should have been in the roadshow. "I will check with the party whether Gill was invited," he said.
