BJP weighs options for Karnal Mayor’s deputies

KARNAL: The BJP has started a hunt for incumbents to the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor

Updated At : 06:27 AM Dec 25, 2018 IST

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, December 24

The BJP has started a hunt for incumbents to the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Sources in the BJP say the party is aiming to strike a caste balance keeping in mind parliamentary and Assembly elections next year. The party is concentrating on its vote bank living across the railway tracks.

Newly elected Mayor Renu Bala Gupta belongs to the Aggarwal community. The party may give the post of Senior Deputy Mayor to a Punjabi councillor.

There are five names — Rajesh Kumar Aghi and Harish Kumar Bittu from the area across the railway tracks, Vir Vikram Kumar from Sector 13 and Mukesh Arora and Megha Bhandari from the area across the NH-44.

The party may also explore the option of a Sikh incumbent to this post to pacify the community, annoyed with the BJP after cancellation of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s visit to a gurdwara in Dachar. In that case, it has only one choice — Ramanjeet Kaur.

The post of Deputy Mayor may go to a councillor from the SC or BC category. There are four names — Rajni Parocha, Naveen Kumar, Ram Chander Kala and Jai Bhagwan Kashyap.

The party may adjust three leaders by appointing them as nominated councillors. It may give an opportunity to a Brahmin and a Punjabi Khatri. The names of Narinder Pandit, Vikas Kathuria, Vikas Tanwar, Deepak Gupta, Nittu Kakkar, Amritpal Joshi and Sudhir Yadav may be considered.

The sources say the name of former Senior Deputy Mayor Krishan Garg’s daughter-in-law Monika Garg may be considered as well.

Since the victory margin of the mayoral candidate has been less compared to her counterparts, the party will try its best to pacify all sections of society.

Jagmohan Anand, district BJP president, said the party would finalise the names for both posts soon. After the consent of the House and Chief Minister, the names would be announced, he stated.

“We are not in any hurry to finalise the names and are exploring all option. Development tops our agenda and we will fulfil our promises in the coming days,” he added.