The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday appointed Gopal Singh, a retired PCS officer, as in-charge of the Bathinda Rural (SC reserved) Assembly constituency, replacing Jaswinder Singh Shinda Nandgarh, who was given the post about six months ago.

Notably, Amit Rattan Kotfatta is the sitting AAP MLA from the constituency. Amit was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on bribery charges in February 2023 and was granted bail by the high court nearly three months later. Earlier, in 2017, he had contested the Assembly election from the same seat as a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate and finished as runner-up. SAD later expelled him over allegations of duping party workers with false promises of business opportunities.

The 60-year-old, who has now been entrusted with the responsibility, is a native of Kotfatta village. He holds MA degrees in Political Science and Punjabi, along with an MBA and an LLB. Before clearing the PCS examination, he served in various positions at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Bathinda, including in the staff of Ajaib Singh Bhatti, a former Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and ex-Additional Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda. As a PCS officer, he served in Malout, Muktsar, Barnala, and Chandigarh.

Speaking to The Tribune, Gopal Singh said, “I was resting at home when I received a phone call informing me that the party had appointed me as the in-charge of the Bathinda Rural Assembly constituency. I am thankful to the entire party leadership and will try to serve the people to the best of my ability.”

Gopal Singh had earlier been active in the Malout Assembly constituency in Muktsar district. However, over the past few days, he had added ‘Kotfatta’ to his name on social media handles, indicating his intent to become active in Bathinda Rural.

His elder son is a Major in the Army, while his younger son is a law student. His wife serves as an Assistant Professor at Government Rajindra College in Bathinda. The family resides in Bathinda city.

Sources said the party had been planning to replace the constituency in-charge for some time.

Jatinder Singh Bhalla, AAP’s Bathinda district president, said, “Amit Rattan’s political activities had remained low after he was booked in a case. About six months ago, the party appointed Jaswinder Singh Shinda Nandgarh as the constituency in-charge. He has now been replaced by Gopal Singh.”