BJP MC Chief resigns

support of 11 councillors in her favour, local Municipal Council President Ambika Khanna of BJP today resigned from the post, a day before she was to face a no-confidence motion tomorrow.

Khanna came to the council's office and handed over her resignation to Executive Officer, MC, Rajesh Khokhar.

On April 22, 22 BJP and SAD councillors out of the total of 33 councilors gave a notice of no-confidence motion against Khanna, daughter of former BJP leader Jagdish Sahni.

Raising charges of mismanagement, corruption and dictatorial style of functioning attitude against the council president, the councilors alleged they had brought the matter of corruption to the notice of Khanna and requested her to hold a meeting of the House but she refused to accepted their demand.

Khanna's resignation came a day before a meeting of the local civic body where she was to prove her majority.

Khanna and her father Sahni left no stone unturned to get the support of 11 councilors but failed.

Against the decision of state BJP to give Batala BJP seat to alliance partner SAD, the then BJP MLA Jagdish Sahni had raised a banner of revolt against the state party leadership and then quit from the party and joined Congress.

As per statutory requirements, SAD-BJP councillors need a strength of 22 to remove Ambika Khanna from the post of President and in the House of 33 councilors, SAD-BJP has 26 councillors of which one, Keemto Devi, died while another BJP councilor, Rajbir Singh Bhullar, was lodged at Gurdaspur jail in connection with a murder case. BJP councilor Gurbax Singh Malhi is undergoing treatment at a Amritsar hospital. PTI Cor VJ