BJP wins Chandigarh mayoral polls

Chandigarh: The BJP swept the Chandigarh mayoral polls on Tuesday, retaining the three top posts in a setback to the AAP and the Congress which had contested the elections as allies.

Councillors from the two INDIA bloc parties created a ruckus in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation House as the result for the mayor's post was declared and boycotted the next phase – elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.

BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar defeated the AAP's Kuldeep Kumar for the mayor's post, polling 16 votes against the 12 won by his rival. Eight votes were declared invalid. BJP nominees Kuljit Sandhu and Rajinder Sharma were declared elected to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.

Opposition councilors alleged there was tampering with the ballot papers at the elections, a charge rubbished by the BJP. On social media, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal expressed “serious concern” over the “cheating” in “broad daylight”.

An AAP councilor said the party will approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Tuesday's elections too were held on the directions of the High Court after a postponement on January 18. The AAP and the Congress accused presiding officer Anil Masih of making some marks on the ballots during the counting, rendering them invalid. They argued that the “invalid” ballots tilted the balance in the BJP candidate's favour. "The worst fears of unabashed tampering by the BJP's councillor-presiding officer in a premeditated and planned intrigue to murder democracy have come true in the Chandigarh mayoral elections,” Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal alleged. He claimed that the Congress-AAP agent was not allowed to examine the ballot papers. “The presiding officer announced rejection of eight votes, declared the BJP candidate the winner and went away. BJP members rushed to the table and tore off the ballot papers," he alleged.

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Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat alleged that the presiding officer did not call the party's election agent when the ballot box was opened for counting. "We do not accept the result," he said. AAP councillor Prem Lata said they will approach the high court against the result.

"A fraud was played on us. No free and fair election took place," another councillor said. BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi rubbished the opposition allegations and said if the councilors have any objections, they can challenge the result.

The newly elected mayor was to hold the elections to the two most senior posts after him. With the Opposition parties boycotting this phase of mayoral polls, these posts also went to the BJP.

The BJP has 14 councillors in the 35-member corporation. Its Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher also has voting rights as an ex-officio member. The AAP has 13 councillors and the Congress seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor.