23 more councillors in Patiala want Captain loyalist mayor out

PATIALA: A day after 16 municipal councilors of Patiala MC met cabinet minister Brahm Mohindra to seek the removal of city mayor Sanjeev Sharma alias Bittu, 23 more councilors in Patiala have come forward with the same demand.
This means that 39 of the total 60 councillors in Patiala MC house want Bittu, a confidant of former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, out.
On Monday evening, councilors from 23 of the 26 wards falling under the constituency of Mohindra held a meeting with the latter and demanded the mayor to be changed. There are 60 wards in Patiala, of which 32 fall under Amarinder’s constituency Patiala Urban, while 26 fall in Mohindra’s constutuency, Patiala Rural. The remaining two wards fall under Sanaur constituency.
Mohindra said 23 more councilors, including one from the ward falling under Patiala Urban, had signed a letter seeking the change of mayor. “Sixteen councilors under Patiala Urban constituency had demanded the same. I have no animosity with anyone, but the councillors are reaching out to me. Few more councilors have approached me to get the mayor changed. The matter is still under consideration and a decision will be taken soon,” he said.
Replying to a query, Mohindra said the decision of taking any action against those supporting Amarinder will be decided by the party high command.
Three of six members of Patiala MC’s finance and contract committee (F&CC) on Monday also got a meeting postponed on the grounds that work allotted for several projects to several contractors was already pending as they could not complete it even months beyond the stipulated time and the same contractors should not be given extension.
Senior deputy mayor Y S Yogi and committee members Anil Moudgil and Harvinder Shukla got the meeting cancelled. Sources said as the councillors wanted the incumbent mayor to be removed, committee members did not want him to take any credit in the name of the party. Bittu, and some councillors met Amarinder at his Siswan farmhouse on Sunday. Later, they met CM Channi .