BJP wins senior deputy mayor, deputy mayor posts in Chandigarh
After an embarrassing defeat in the Chandigarh mayoral election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor in the repoll held on Monday. The BJP's Kuljeet Sandhu won against the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)'s Gurpreet Singh Gabi—jointly fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress—with a margin of three votes. It also won the post of deputy mayor by a margin of two votes.
Why does this story matter?
This comes two weeks after the Supreme Court declared the AAP-Congress combine's candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the "validly elected" mayor of Chandigarh. After the mayoral poll results were announced, the alliance accused the BJP of "forgery in the electoral process." The AAP moved the SC and submitted a video claiming Presiding Officer Anil Masih tampered with the ballot papers. During the hearing, the apex court ordered eight ballots, allegedly defaced and declared invalid by Masih, be treated as valid.
1 vote declared invalid during senior deputy mayor poll
During the counting for the senior deputy mayor post, Sandhu got 19 votes, Gabi got 16, and one vote was declared invalid. The BJP's Rajinder Sharma got 19 votes and was declared the deputy mayor, while the alliance candidate Nirmala Devi got 17. A total of 36 votes were polled—which includes 35 members of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and the vote of ex-officio member and the BJP's Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher.
Mayor Kumar oversaw the repolling
On January 30, Manoj Sonkar—the initial presiding officer for the mayoral poll after being declared mayor by the BJP—announced Sandhu and Sharma as senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively. However, this decision was overturned following the Supreme Court order. On Monday, Mayor Kumar oversaw the repolling, and nominations were filed anew, with parties fielding the same candidates.
BJP has 17 councilors in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation
Sandhu and Sharma's victory solidifies the BJP's position in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. As of now, in the 35-member municipal corporation, the BJP has 17 councilors. The AAP has 10 members, while the Congress has seven. The BJP's strength in the civic body increased from 14 to 17 after three AAP councilors—Neha Musawat, Poonam Devi, and Gurcharan Kala—shifted to the saffron party on February 19.
Sonkar's resignation amid poll misconduct allegations
On January 30, the BJP's Sonkar secured 16 out of 36 votes. The candidate from the INDIA bloc—now Mayor Kumar—received 12 votes, with eight other votes declared invalid. After allegations of poll misconduct by the presiding officer surfaced, Sonkar resigned from the post of Chandigarh mayor on February 19, citing "moral grounds." A vote recount for the mayoral elections was held during the same week.
