MOHALI: Former Congress minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and his brother and Mohali mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu alias Jeeti Sidhu joined the BJP in the presence of home minister Amit Shah in Chandigarh on Saturday, amplifying chances of either AAP or BJP wresting control of the civic body from the Congress.
With BJP at the Centre and AAP government in the state, the councillors will have to take a call to support Sidhu brothers or AAP MLA and former Mohali mayor Kulwant Singh,.
Jeeti Sidhu claimed his Congress councillors will support the BJP in the next two-three days. Most of them are close to the Sidhu brothers. Analysts said they may join BJP in the coming days. If BJP gets a majority, it will have all its mayors in the Tricity - Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali.
BJP will win Anandpur Sahib LS seat: Vashishte 50-member MC house
On the other side, AAP too may not remain quiet. Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh could try to contact Congress councillors, sources said. Mohali district Congress committee president Rishav Jain told TOI he came to know about the Sidhus joining the BJP through media only. Both did not discuss anything with them, he said.
On the fate of Congress councillors in the Mohali MC house, he said, “Jeeti Sidhu will call a meeting in which they will discuss about development. At present, he is a Congressman.We will take a call after discussing the same with Jeeti Sidhu and his supporters. Their decision will be conveyed to media.”
Rishav Jain and his wife Raj Rani Jain are both senior councillors in the MC house. Deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi, however, said he is still in Congress and will decide after consultation only. BJP leader Sanjeev Vashisht, who was party’s candidate from Mohali seat in 2022 assembly polls, said that joining of Balbir Sidhu and Jeeti Sidhu will strengthen the party. The BJP is going to win Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 parliamentary polls and for that they will take every possible support, he said.
Cong had swept Mohali MC polls last year
In February 2021, the Congress had swept the Mohali municipal corporation elections with 37 of its candidates emerging victorious. The Kulwant Singh-led Azad Group had bagged 10 seats, while the remaining three seats were won by Independents. Kulwant Singh this year had contested on AAP ticket from Mohali assembly seat and was elected as the new MLA.
