What initially appeared as a decisive Congress victory in the Kapurthala Municipal Corporation elections on May 29 has unraveled within weeks. The party, which won 31 of the 50 wards — later increasing its tally to 32 after an Independent joined — failed to elect its own Mayor on July 8. Instead, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seized control of the civic body after a series of defections from the Congress camp.
Dramatic Turnaround in Civic Polls
At least six Congress councillors switched sides in quick succession, including some considered close to Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh. On Wednesday, Congress councillor Narinder Singh Mansu defected and was elected Mayor with the support of AAP and other opposition councillors. AAP Councillor Sameer Sharma was elected Senior Deputy Mayor, while Kamakshi Duggal became Deputy Mayor, both after crossing over from the Congress. Councillor Charanjit Hans was among the other defectors.
Controversy and Allegations
The mayoral election was preceded by controversy, including action against Congress councillor Neha Ahuja’s 25-year-old establishment, Ahuja Sweets, which was sealed. The business subsequently secured a stay order from the court. Until July 4, Rana Gurjit Singh had been demanding early conduct of the mayoral elections, repeatedly expressing concern over possible horse-trading. However, by the time polling took place, the political equation had shifted dramatically in AAP’s favour.
Rana Gurjit Singh's Challenge
Rana Gurjit Singh, who has also been engaged in the Congress’ internal factional contest between supporters of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, questioned the legality of the election process. Following the polls, the MLA claimed he still enjoyed the backing of 26 councillors and, along with his own vote, commanded a strength of 27. He alleged that the rival camp had been declared victorious despite having the support of only 24 councillors. Displaying his supporters before the media, Rana said he would challenge the outcome in court.
“I always had the numbers and continue to have them. But when officials are clearly working to support a certain side, they resort to any measures. Our councillors were threatened, the historic Ahuja Sweets was closed, for which we obtained a stay. We are working on legal proceedings to extricate others from false charges. In the formal mayoral proceedings, only the Mayor’s name was called out, circumventing the law. This is a continuing battle which we will fight to the end,” Rana told The Tribune.
New Mayor's Priorities
Meanwhile, newly elected Mayor Narinder Singh Mansu thanked AAP and other opposition councillors for their support and said accelerating the development of Kapurthala city would be his foremost priority.
