Putting all speculations to rest, Congress councillor Ashok Sachdeva was elected President of Ferozepur Municipal Council in high court-monitored election proceedings held here amid a tense atmosphere.

The municipal council election was held on May 26, and the result was declared on May 29. However, the election for the post of President remained pending after a petition was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court directed the Deputy Commissioner to complete the process under her supervision through in-camera proceedings.

In the election held on Thursday, Ashok Sachdeva was elected President, Bohar Singh was elected Senior Vice-President, and Mani Khokhar was elected Vice-President. SDM Abhishek Sharma presided over the election process amid tight security and in the presence of a court-appointed observer.

The proceedings, scheduled to begin at 3 pm, were delayed considerably as councillors from the BJP, AAP, and Independents did not arrive at the venue on time. Senior advocate Nikhil Goyal, appointed as observer by the high court, monitored the process. Videography of the meeting hall and council premises was also conducted.

Presiding over the election, the SDM stepped out of the meeting hall twice and publicly called upon absent councillors to join the proceedings, stating that some members may have been delayed due to traffic congestion.

Former Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinky arrived at the MC office with 17 Congress councillors. Sitting AAP MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar reached later with five AAP councillors. Councillors from the BJP (7), two Independents, and the lone BSP councillor also reached the venue before the voting began.

BJP councillor Davinder Bajaj alleged that their party members reached the MC office late due to traffic. “We were asked to sit in a room and, after 20 minutes, were told to leave the place. Neither were we called for the meeting nor for the voting,” Bajaj said.

Meanwhile, high drama was witnessed just before the start of the proceedings when Congress councillor Prem Rani publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the party and announced support for AAP. However, the development did not alter the final outcome, with the Congress securing enough support to retain the top post.

Heavy police deployment was in place throughout the proceedings, and only authorised persons were allowed inside the premises. DSP Sukhwinder Singh and City SHO Sukhchain Mehta supervised security arrangements.

After the election, Sachdeva thanked the councillors for reposing faith in him and said he would work for the city’s development without discrimination. Former MLA Pinky said the elections were finally held following the high court’s intervention and expressed confidence that the new council leadership would focus on development works in the city.