Despite having 41 councillors in the 50-member Bathinda Municipal Corporation, the Congress lost the mayoral poll to the state’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party amid rampant cross-voting in the elections.
Before the election proceedings started, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had only five members in the MC House while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had four councillors.
However, when the results were announced, AAP candidate Padamjeet Singh Mehta bagged 33 votes to clinch the mayor’s post. Congress candidate Baljinder Singh Thekedar received only 15 votes.
Cross-voting in these elections do not attract disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Padamjeet (26) has become third youngest mayor in India.
Born and raised in Bathinda, Padamjeet completed his schooling in the city before pursuing higher education in the UK.
His political journey commenced during his college days in the UK, where he was actively involved in student politics and served as the president of the Students’ Union there in 2021.
He was also the first Indian president of the University of Westminster Students Union (UWSU), London. Padamjeet Mehta is a son of Punjab Cricket Association president Amarjeet Mehta.
In December 2024, AAP nominated Mehta as its candidate from the Ward No.48 bypoll.
AAP legislator votes for Congress candidate
AAP MLA from Bathinda Urban Jagroop Singh Gill, who had the right to vote in the election due to being an ex-officio member of the House, voted for the Congress candidate.
The legislator alleged that Mehta had the backing of SAD and BJP leader Manpreet Singh Badal
The AAP legislator claimed that neither did the party consult him regarding Mehta’s candidature, nor state party president invited him to a meeting to declare his name for the mayor’s post.
