Patiala: Shiromani Akali Dal leader and two time councillor Amaninder Singh Bajaj was on Tuesday unanimously elected as the new mayor of the city.
In a meeting of councillors held here, the election of 34-year-old leader and son of Inder Mohan Singh Bajaj-the president of SAD`s Patiala urban Unit- was conducted in presence of party in-charge for the city, Sikander Singh Maluka, and Rural Development Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra.
Amaninder is the grandson of Jathedar (late) Manmohan Singh Bajaj, who was a close associate of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Amaninder is the fourth mayor of Patiala Municipal Corporation.
The post had fallen vacant following resignation of Jaspal Singh Pardhan, whose name figured in the case of mysterious death of his `daughter-in-law`, Parampreet Kaur, recently.
Bajaj`s name got the approval of the party high command after a three-member panel comprising S S Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Sikander Singh Maluka suggested him for the post.
Earlier, Sikander Singh Maluka lauded the services rendered by outgoing mayor Jaspal Singh Pardhan. He said that since he has got clean chit from the SIT in the mysterious death case of Parampreet Kaur.
The Mayor`s post had fallen vacant in February this year when Pardhan had to resign following registration of a police case against him in connection with the case.
Later, a Special Investigation Team constituted by the Punjab Government to probe the death of Kaur, gave a clean chit to Pardhan.
According to SAD sources, despite the clean chit, the party decided not to re-instate him to avoid controversy as the case was pending with the Punjab and Haryana high court following a plea filed by Parampreet`s father seeking a CBI probe into the incident.
PTI
