AMRITSAR: BJP leader and third-time councilor Bakshi Ram Arora has been elected Mayor of holy city Amritsar. The decision was taken at a joint meeting of SAD-BJP leaders and councilors here today.
Avtar Singh Trakkanwala and Avinash Jolly, both from SAD, were unanimously elected Senior Deputy and Deputy Mayor of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation, respectively. While Trakkanwala has been elected for the third time, for Jolly, it is the second time.
Interestingly, Trakkanwala was unanimously elected with the consent of Punjab Revenue Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia and MP Rattan Singh Ajnala, who had earlier been lobbying for a Sikh Mayor for Amritsar. Arora is a staunch RSS leader and his election as the mayor came as a surprise to the keen followers of the mayoral poll.
Arora’s name was approved by the BJP high command and seconded by BJP Minister and local MLA Anil Joshi. Arora is said to be a close aide of Joshi.
Out of the 65-member house, Akali Dal bagged 25 seats while the BJP walked away with 24. Congress, on the other hand, managed just four.
The meeting witnessed the presence of all senior SAD-BJP Amritsar leaders, including MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and BJP leader and Local Bodies Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat.
Addressing the media, the newly elected Mayor said, “My priority will be the overall development of the city. City cleanliness and its conservation will be high on my agenda." He further said he would demand maximum funds from the government for the development of the city and he assured that the pending projects would be completed soon.
