Congress Sweeps Dinanagar MC Elections
Sunita Kumari and Rajni Bala, both from the Congress party, were elected president and vice-president, respectively, of the Dinanagar Municipal Committee (MC) in elections held today. The results mark a significant victory for the Congress in the 15-member house, where the party holds eight seats.
Vote Breakdown and Alliances
The Congress has eight members in the 15-member House, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has six and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) one councillor. In a surprise move, the lone BJP councillor, allegedly without the approval of senior party leaders, supported the AAP councillors in an unsuccessful bid to thwart the Congress’s move to secure both top posts. This AAP-BJP combine mustered seven votes, but the Congress secured nine votes for both positions.
Dinanagar Congress MLA Aruna Chaudhary, an ex-officio member of the Municipal Committee, cast her vote in favour of the party’s candidate, pushing the Congress tally from eight to nine. In the show of hands, Sunita Kumari secured nine votes against the combine’s seven. Similarly, Rajni Bala was elected vice-president by the same margin.
Political Implications
A senior Congress leader noted the irony of the BJP and AAP, who are at loggerheads in national politics, joining forces locally. Despite this alliance, the Congress managed to secure victory through effective political maneuvering by MLA Aruna Chaudhary. The election results underscore the Congress’s organizational strength in Dinanagar, a town in Gurdaspur district.
