DW BUREAU / Phagwara

Aam Aadmi Party's candidate Ram Pal Uppal was elected as the new mayor of the Phagwara Municipal Corporation here on Saturday, officials said. Councillor Uppal had joined the AAP on January 28 after quitting the Congress. He defeated Congress candidate Sanjeev Bugga in the mayoral elections, they said.

Tejpal Basra, councillor who joined the AAP after leaving the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday, was elected senior deputy mayor while Vipan Krishna was elected deputy mayor. The Punjab and Haryana high court had earlier appointed retired judge Habans Lal as an independent observer for the mayoral elections. The Congress, however, accused the AAP of violating the norms of democracy. The Congress councillors and their supporters raised slogans against the AAP government in a demonstration held outside the Public Work Department Rest House.

Meanwhile, Punjab AAP president Aman Arora congratulated all the newly elected office bearers and said that the councilors prioritised Phagwara's development above party politics by electing an AAP mayor.

Following the election of AAP's mayor, Arora along with the party's MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal thanked the party's top leadership, local leaders, and workers, stating that this historic victory was the result of the hard work of party workers.

Arora said in the recently held elections for 46 municipal corporations, councils, and panchayats, AAP secured a clear majority in 41 places, and even in other places, councilors elected an AAP mayor for their city's development.

Addressing the people of Phagwara, Arora said, "I want to assure the people of Phagwara that now it is our responsibility to prioritize the development of Phagwara above party politics.

"I also appeal to councillors from opposition parties not to feel disheartened thinking that their party's mayor is not in power. You can bring your issues to our mayor, and he will resolve them as well. We believe in inclusive development," he added.

(editor@dailyworld.in)