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The Aam Aadmi Party has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking re-election for the post of Chandigarh Mayor under the supervision of a retired judge. BJP won the elections held on Tuesday afternoon amid resentment in the opposition camp by securing 16 votes. Eight of the 36 votes were declared invalid, leading to allegations of fraud and rigging.
“For the first time in Chandigarh Mayor elections – eight votes out of 36 were declared invalid. Congress and AAP alliance were to get 20 votes. We got 12 votes and eight were declared invalid. Not a single vote of BJP was declared invalid…We are worried what will happen in the upcoming 2024 elections. If the BJP can resort to such low levels and indulge in fraud and illegality… then the BJP can go to any level to rig the election process,” said AAP MP Raghav Chadha.
According to news quoting sources, my mayoral candidate and AAP councilor Kuldeep Kumar has filed a petition alleging ‘complete fraud and forgery’.
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has 35 members plus one ex-officio member with voting rights – a post currently held by BJP MP Kirron Kher. At present AAP has 13 councilors while Congress has seven. BJP has 14 MLAs while Shiromani Akali Dal has the last seat in the House.
Sonkar got 16 votes out of 36 on Monday to clinch the top post, while India Bloc candidate Kuldeep Singh got 12 votes. Eight votes of the opposition group were declared invalid.
These elections posed the first electoral hurdle for the Indian alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. This is the first time that AAP and Congress have come together to contest elections.
(with inputs from agencies)
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Published: Jan 30, 2024, 06:48 PM IST
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