In a setback to the INDIA bloc, AAP-Congress candidate Kuldeep Singh, who appeared to be in a comfortable position, was defeated by BJP’s nominee, Manoj Sonkar, in the Chandigarh mayoral election on Tuesday. The result came after eight votes were declared invalid by presiding officer Anil Masih, a nominated councillor who is also a BJP worker.
The election sparked allegations of “fraud, forgery,” and “sedition,” leading to a plea by the AAP-Congress candidate seeking a fresh election under the supervision of a retired HC judge. This matter is scheduled to be heard in the Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday.
The BJP’s candidate won by four votes, with BJP polling 16 votes and INDIA bloc securing 12. The INDIA bloc accused BJP of “treason” and “unconstitutional meddling” in the poll process, terming the election “anti-national.” AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, Congress’s Pawan Bansal, AAP’s Chandigarh in-charge Jarnail Singh, and Congress Chandigarh president Harmohinder Singh Lucky rejected the results in a joint press conference.
In a subsequent development, as the opposition councillors boycotted further proceedings, BJP’s Sonkar, after taking over as mayor, announced elections for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. BJP won both posts with a 16-0 margin.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann criticized the BJP-led Centre, stating that January 30 would be remembered as the day democracy was “murdered.” He demanded that the presiding officer be booked under “sedition” laws for “deceiving” the Constitution. Mann expressed concern that BJP might go to any length to undermine people’s democratic rights in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The municipal corporation, held by BJP for eight years, witnessed high drama with accusations of vote tampering. AAP-Congress councillors protested, and there were reports of disruptions, including torn ballot papers during the ruckus.
Presiding officer Anil Masih claimed that opposition councillors had torn some ballot papers during the chaos. He asserted that he changed 11 ballot papers based on objections and, despite opposition pressure, completed the process before calling their representatives. The BJP’s keen interest in this election was evident, with party general secretary Vinod Tawde overseeing party strategy in the city since Monday. The election, initially set for January 18, was postponed to February 6 after the presiding officer fell ill, following a directive from the Punjab and Haryana HC.