Ludhiana: What was supposed to be a routine administrative arrangement has sparked political tension in the municipal corporation. It started with senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar taking charge as officiating mayor in the absence of mayor Inderjit Kaur, who is out of town.The work arrangement warped into a show of covert strength, with Prashar using the mayor’s Zone D office to meet residents and officials. He also left quite a few people shocked by using the mayor’s chair and office in her absence, leading a few officials to ask if he had been formally handed charge.This set off a race among councillors and officials to support Prashar or avoid him. Several councillors from different parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP, have met Prashar at the MC’s Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar and extended their support. Others have reportedly been steering clear of the office to avoid being drawn into the political controversy. Sources said some officials have even received messages from people close to the mayor, advising them to stay away for a few days.An MC official said, “Officials do not want to be seen siding with either camp. If the mayor returns and takes a different view, those supporting the senior deputy mayor could face the consequences.”Prashar, however, defended his move, saying, “I am not holding any financial meetings or taking any major decisions. I do not have an office in Zone D, so I am using the mayor’s office. I am only handling routine work, which I was doing earlier as well.”Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon criticised the ongoing developments in the civic body, describing them as an unprecedented “chair race” in the absence of the mayor.“What has not happened in 70 years is now being witnessed in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. This is also a major chapter in Ludhiana’s history — a chair race is being played out in the absence of the mayor,” Dhillon said.He rued that while political leaders were engaged in a tussle over the mayor’s post, civic issues had taken a back seat, with residents grappling with garbage accumulation, sewerage problems, contaminated water, damaged roads and waterlogging. He also questioned the availability of fogging machines amid concerns over dengue and mosquito-borne diseases.Dhillon said even light rainfall caused chaos, with incidents of road cave-ins and waterlogging becoming frequent. “Instead of addressing these issues, leaders are fighting over the mayor’s post,” he said, adding that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had pulled up authorities over the constitution of the Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC).When officials faced off in MCJan 2026 — Republic Day protocol row: Senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar and deputy mayor Prince Johar boycotted the Republic Day flag-hoisting ceremony, alleging they were ignored and not accorded due protocol. The zonal commissioner disputed their version, saying staff had informed them about the mayor’s arrivalJuly 2025 — F&CC meeting boycott: Prashar and Johar walked out of a Finance and Contracts Committee meeting after a dispute with mayor Inderjit Kaur over tenders worth around Rs 10 crore and other administrative issues. The matter was escalated to the AAP high commandDec 2022 — Cow-shed row: A tussle between then senior deputy mayor Shyam Sunder Malhotra and MC medical officer Dr Vipul Malhotra over payments to a cow shed led to the postponement of an F&CC meeting. More than 200 resolutions were scheduled to be discussed2015 — Mayor vs deputy mayor over F&CC: A dispute between mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria and deputy mayor RD Sharma over the constitution of the F&CC stalled development proposals worth around Rs 100 crore. The state local bodies department eventually put the committee’s formation on holdAug 2024 — Mayor’s office locked: MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi ordered the mayor’s vacant office and other important vacant offices to be locked after an MLA complained that outsiders were using them to hold meetings and settle disputes
