Raman Goyal Becomes First Woman Mayor Of Bhatinda

Raman Goyal has now become the first woman mayor of Bathinda municipal corporation.

Besides Raman Goyal, the senior deputy mayor, and the deputy mayor were also appointed in a meeting which was conducted on Thursday. Ashok Pardhan (ward number 37) was elected senior deputy mayor, while Master Harmandar Singh Sidhu (ward number 28) was elected the deputy mayor.

Charanjit Singh Channi, the Technical education minister said that all the three mayors were elected unanimously. However, a veteran Congress leader made allegations of favouritism with regards to the latest development.

The meeting was attended by Punjab's Congress leaders. The state's finance minister and local Congress MLA Manpreet Singh Badal were also present at the meeting.

Veteran Congress leader Alleges that Raman Goyal's husband is close to Manpreet Badal

Jagroop Singh Gill, a veteran Congress leader claimed to have received a cold shoulder from his fellow Congress leaders. He openly stated that the names of the people selected for the top three positions had been decided about two weeks ago. He also alleged that certain people tried to defeat him during the civic body polls.

“I’m winning the local body elections since 1979 and it was popular opinion that an experienced person should head the MC. But she (Raman Goyal) was favoured only because her husband, Sandeep Goyal, a wine contractor, is close to Manpreet Badal and his core team,” he accused.

Manpreet Badal fought back by saying that the appointment of the three mayors was done according to popular opinion. There were no specific criteria for finalising the names.

In another news, Noorbina Rashid was chosen as the first female candidate of Kerala's Indian Union Muslim League party in 2021's assembly elections. This was the first time the party had fielded a female candidate in the last 25 years. Read more here.