In a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has managed to retain the mayoral seat in Chandigarh for the ninth consecutive time. This victory came despite a strong challenge from the Congress-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alliance. BJP's Manoj Sonkar emerged victorious against the AAP-Congress alliance candidate, Kuldeep Tita, winning the mayoral post by a margin of just four votes. This victory came despite the Congress-AAP alliance having a majority of councillors in the 35-member Municipal Corporation.
The BJP has 14 councillors, with an additional vote from Member of Parliament and ex-officio member Kirron Kher, while the AAP has 13 councillors and the Congress holds seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor in the House. The election process was fraught with controversy, with eight out of 36 votes being declared invalid by the presiding authority, Anil Masih, a nominated councilor with no voting rights.
Allegations and legal battles
The BJP secured 16 votes, while the AAP-Congress alliance had 12 votes, despite having 20 councillors. This discrepancy led to accusations of rigging and a failure to follow the due electoral process by the Congress and AAP councillors. The controversy didn't end with the mayoral election. Both the Congress and AAP boycotted the elections of the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, which were subsequently won by the BJP's Kuljeet Singh and Rajinder Sharma, respectively.
The allegations of electoral fraud have led to a legal battle, with the mayoral poll row reaching the high court. A hearing is expected to take place soon. AAP MP Raghav Chadha, in a media interaction, termed the election process as "unconstitutional" and "treason." He demanded that the presiding authority be booked for electoral fraud and called for a High Court monitored reelection.
Mixed reactions and historical similarities
The BJP's victory has been met with mixed reactions. BJP national President J.P. Nadda, in a post on social media, "That the INDIA Alliance fought their first electoral battle and still lost to BJP shows that neither their arithmetic is working nor their chemistry." On the other hand, AAP national Convenor Arvind Kejriwal termed the results as dishonesty, expressing concern over the implications of such alleged malpractices on future elections.
The controversy surrounding the Chandigarh mayoral election is reminiscent of the 2022 election, where the BJP candidate won by just one vote after a vote was declared invalid due to various reasons. Similarly, in January 2023, Anup Gupta of the BJP won the mayor election defeating Aam Aadmi Party's Jasbir Singh Laddi by only one vote, with the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal abstaining from the voting.
The Chandigarh mayoral election has been a significant event, not just for the city but for the entire country. It was the maiden electoral test of the Opposition's INDIA alliance against the BJP and also saw the first alliance between the AAP and the Congress. The election process was closely monitored, with around 700 police personnel, along with those from paramilitary forces, deployed for maintaining law and order at the municipal corporation building.
Highlights
- BJP's Manoj Sonkar won the Chandigarh mayoral seat, marking the party's ninth consecutive victory.
- The win was controversial, with eight out of 36 votes declared invalid, leading to allegations of rigging.
- The Congress and AAP boycotted the deputy mayor elections, which were won by BJP's Kuljeet Singh and Rajinder Sharma.
- AAP MP Raghav Chadha called the election process "unconstitutional" and demanded a High Court monitored reelection.
- The election has raised questions about the integrity of the electoral process and the need for a robust anti-defection law.
