Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Bathinda Mayor Padamjeet Singh Mehta won unopposed from Ward 46 on Tuesday after the rejection of the Congress candidate’s nomination papers and the withdrawal of nominations by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates.
The development is being viewed as politically significant amid the ongoing civic poll campaign, with AAP leaders and workers terming it a morale booster ahead of voting.
A first-time councillor, Padamjeet had recently completed his tenure as Mayor.
According to information, the nomination papers of the Congress candidate were rejected during scrutiny on Monday. Subsequently, the SAD and BJP nominees withdrew their nominations on Tuesday.
Padamjeet is the son of Amarjit Singh Mehta, chairman of the Punjab Cricket Association.
A senior officer said that since no other candidate remained in the fray from Ward 46, Padamjeet is elected unopposed.
Notably, the Mehtas and AAP’s local MLA Jagroop Singh Gill share strained relations. Gill had recently gone live on Facebook and raised serious questions over the party’s ticket distribution process, alleging that the entire MC setup had been “handed over to one man”.