Patiala Mayor to face floor test on Nov 25

Ravneet Singh

Tribune news service

Patiala, November 22

The Municipal Corporation will hold a meeting of all councillors and MLAs of respective Assembly constituencies for a confidence vote at 4 pm on November 25. The agenda has been finalised and issued to all councillors of the Municipal Corporation.

The development came three days after ‘rebellious’ councillors of over 40 wards submitted a no-confidence motion against Mayor Sanjeev Sharma (Bittu) and demanded that a meeting of the general house be called.

The Mayor is said to have the support of nearly 20 councillors who have been holding meetings with him and Member Parliament Preneet Kaur for the last couple of days. On the other hand, meetings have also taken place among the rebellious municipal councillors who alleged that counsellors have been hold-up.

Importantly, allegations have poured out from both sides. Counsellors sidelining with the Mayor said they had been holding meetings inside the new Moti Bagh Palace. Rejecting allegations of being holed up, Vijay Kumar Kuka, one of the counsellors with the Mayor said the police were sent to the houses of various councillors to pressurise them to change sides. “None of us has been hold-up by anyone. In fact, we have been holding meetings with the Member Parliament and the Mayor. A lunch was organised at her residence today. It is them who sent police personnel to pressurise our counsellors into shifting sides”, he said.

Apart from 60 councillors of the corporation, the MLAs of three Assembly constituencies— Patiala (urban) Capt Amarinder Singh, Patiala (rural) Local Government Minister Brahm Mohindra and Sanaur Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra, are the ex-officio members who are expected to attend the meeting.

Corporation Commissioner Vineet Kumar will also be present in the meeting along with Secretary Sunil Mehta.