Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Palwinder Kaur was elected president of the Qadian municipal council on Thursday amid clashes between ruling party workers and Congress supporters.
Event Context
Team Analysis
Along with Kaur, AAP’s Gurdilbagh Singh “Nita” Mahal was elected vice-president during a highly volatile election process overseen by Batala sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sarangpreet Singh and tehsildar Arjan Singh. The election, which drew only eight of the 15 municipal councillors to the office, escalated into a scuffle right outside the venue.
High drama unfolded as Punjab leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa led his party’s councillors toward the venue. Witnesses reported a verbal altercation quickly transforming into a scuffle.
While police forces on the ground eventually brought the situation under control, the political fallout ignited a sharp war of words between the rival parties.
Bajwa alleged that the state machinery brazenly subverted the democratic mandate. He said the Congress held a clear numerical advantage with seven councillors plus his own vote as the local MLA, securing eight out of 15 votes. Bajwa further alleged that Congress councillors Joginder Kumar, Narinder Kumar and Rajesh Kumar were not allowed to enter the council office.
Refuting allegations of high-handedness, AAP halqa in-charge Guriqbal Singh Mahal, who recently jumped ship from the Shiromani Akali Dal, claimed the blockade was legally justified. Mahal countered that the Congress councillors in question were accused individuals booked under various criminal cases. He stated that the ruling party merely stopped them from voting until they secured bail, defending the ultimate election of the AAP leadership.
