In a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Chandigarh mayoral elections, Kuljit Singh Sandhu has been declared as the Senior Deputy Mayor, while Rajinder Sharma clinched the position of Deputy Mayor.
The announcement followed the controversy surrounding the invalidation of eight votes of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The presiding officer declared eight votes of Congress and AAP councillors invalid, paving the way for the BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar’s victory in the mayoral elections. Sonkar secured 16 votes compared to AAP's Kuldeep Kumar's 12, with eight votes declared invalid.
The announcement triggered immediate protests from AAP and Congress councillors present on the Municipal Corporation campus, alleging foul play by the saffron party. The two opposition parties, contesting as part of the INDIA bloc, accused the presiding officer, Anil Masih, of manipulating ballots during the counting process.
AAP, backed by footage purportedly showing Masih making marks on some ballots, raised concerns about the integrity of the election process. The ballots were declared invalid for various reasons, including identifying marks that could compromise the secrecy of the vote.
AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha demanded action against Masih, labelling the incident as unconstitutional, illegal, and even treasonous. The AAP swiftly moved to the high court, seeking an urgent hearing for Kumar's plea. Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh highlighted the mysterious rejection of eight votes without any clear reasons and urged the court to seal the record of the election.
The high court is set to take up the matter on Wednesday, as neither the municipal authorities nor Masih has issued any clarification regarding the serious allegations against him.
Former Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal condemned the incident as a brazen attempt to subvert democracy, accusing Masih of orchestrating a premeditated scheme to undermine the electoral process.
Bansal claimed that the agent of the Congress-AAP candidate was denied access to observe the ballot papers, and the presiding officer swiftly announced the rejection of eight votes, declared the BJP candidate the winner, and left.
He further alleged that BJP members rushed to the table and tore off the ballot papers. AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal strongly criticised the BJP, accusing them of "cheating" in the electoral process.
Kejriwal expressed deep concern, stating that if such actions could occur in a mayoral poll, it raised worries about the upcoming national elections.
The mayoral elections, originally scheduled for January 18, were deferred to February 6 by the Chandigarh administration after the presiding officer fell ill. The decision had earlier sparked protests.
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