Amritsar: Special House meeting unlikely before March 10
PK Jaiswar
Amritsar, February 25
Uncertainty looms over the removal of Karamjit Singh Rintu from the Mayor’s post after 53 councillors requested the MC Commissioner to call a special House meeting for bringing a no-confidence motion against him, but it is not likely to happen anytime soon.
The meeting can be called only after the expiry of the Model Code of Conduct, which will remain in force till March 10, when the results will be declared.
Another delegation of as many as 43 MC councillors met MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi on Friday again, seeking special House meeting, but as per norms, it cannot be called till the poll code is in force.
The meeting is to be called by the Mayor only and MC Commissioner has written to him to call the same after forwarding the letter to him.
The delegation forwarded the copies of the letter to the Mayor and Local Bodies Department as well. They urged that for smooth functioning of the Municipal Corporation, it was the need of the hour to call a meeting at the earliest.
They pointed out that Mayor Rintu had lost the confidence of a majority of the councillors and therefore a new Mayor should be elected after following a due procedure.
They said if the authorities concerned failed to call the meeting by March 4, the councillors led by one of them would call the House meeting on March 7. Among those who gave their consent by signing the letter were senior deputy mayor Raman Bakshi and deputy mayor Younus Kumar.
The MC Commissioner has forwarded both letters to Rintu besides informing the Punjab Government for further appropriate action.
On the other hand, Rintu said the meeting could be called only after the expiry of the poll code which would remain in force till March 10, when the results would be declared.
The MC councillors were up in arms against the Mayor after he left Congress and joined the AAP days before Assembly poll. Rintu was one of the aspirants from Amritsar North constituency, from where sitting MLA Sunil Datti was given the ticket.
The frontrunners
Among those who are the frontrunners of the Mayor’s post are MC councillor and Deputy Chief Minister OP Soni’s nephew Vikas Soni, senior deputy mayor Raman Bakshi who is considered close to MLA Raj Kumar Verka and Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia, who is close to Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Another name that has been doing the rounds is of Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Sigh Lucky, who remained the Leader of the Opposition during the previous term.
