Hasanpreet Bhardwaj (35), a close aide and former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, was elected as the first Mayor of Barnala on Wednesday.Before entering politics, Hasanpreet had served as patwari in Revenue Department.A first-time councillor from Ward No. 44, his name for the post of Mayor was approved on Wednesday.Barnala was upgraded to the state’s 14th Municipal Corporation in October last year. Earlier, it functioned as a Municipal Council.Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer later addressed the media.In the recently held election, AAP won 36 of the 50 wards, while BJP secured seven seats, Independents five, and the Congress two.Barnala is represented in the Vidhan Sabha by Congress legislator Kuldeep Singh Kala Dhillon.