Cong, SAD help AAP bag president’s post in Kharar municipal council

Mohali: In a surprising turn of events, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Anju Chander was unanimously elected as the president of Kharar municipal council, with support not only from her party colleagues but also from Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillors.The election, held Friday, saw 26 out of 27 elected councillors participate. In a rare show of cross-party consensus, all 26 councillors present voted in favour of Anju Chander, enabling her return to the top post she had previously held. AAP has 17 councillors, SAD has four, Congress has three and three are independent councillors. Kharar MLA Anmol Gagan Mann and Anandpur Sahib MLA Dr Charanjit Singh Channi are two ex-officio members in the house.Speaking after her victory, Chander thanked all councillors, regardless of party lines, and the residents of Kharar for their overwhelming support. "This trust shown by every member strengthens my resolve to serve Kharar better and faster. I will ensure that our city sees visible and lasting development," she said.Kharar MLA and AAP leader Anmol Gagan Mann said, "It is a historic moment — Anju Chander has been unanimously elected with the support of all present members. There was no opposition, no dissent. This shows a strong desire for cooperation and progress in Kharar."Mann said, "I wholeheartedly congratulate Chander and thank all the MC members and the people of Kharar for this show of unity. This is just the beginning — many golden chapters of development will now be written in Kharar."The leadership change comes in the wake of a no-confidence motion against former president Jaspreet Kaur Longia of SAD. The motion was brought by councillors from across party lines, citing dissatisfaction with her functioning. Her removal paved the way for fresh elections.The cross-party backing of Anju Chander is being viewed as a strategic political move and a possible realignment of local political equations in Kharar. Observers see it as a boost for AAP, which has been striving to strengthen its urban governance record across Punjab.State of Mohali councilsZirakpur MC likely to face the same fateAnother council in Mohali district at Zirakpur is also in line to face the similar fate as in June 2024, 21 councillors out of a total of 31 had submitted a motion of no-confidence against council president Udaivir Singh Dhillon of Cong. Thereafter Dhillon knocked the doors of high Court which stayed the proceedings and appointed Mohali deputy commissioner as the administrator. Since then, the Zirakpur MC is operating under the DC. BOXDerabassi council in AAP pocketAAP councillor from Ward 13 Ashu Upneja was unanimously elected the president of Derabassi municipal council in Oct 2022. Thirteen councillors, including nine of AAP, three of SAD, one independent voted in Upneja's favour. MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa also voted for her.Nayagaon MC in SAD kittyShiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillor Balwinder Kaur from ward number 5 was unanimously elected as the president of Nayagaon municipal council (MC) in April 2021. She was elected after BJP councillor Mamta Koshish from Ward 11 voted in her favour as SAD needed support of 11 councillors in the 21-member house.