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After hung verdict, parties in Chandigarh hold cards close to vest in race for mayor’s post
Even though no party has attained a clear majority in the recently concluded Chandigarh MC elections, senior leaders of all three parties maintained that none of them is going to extend support to the other and that they are not in talks with each other.
Two days on, all three parties – Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress claim they would install their mayor.
Even though no party has attained a clear majority in the recently concluded Chandigarh MC elections, senior leaders of all three parties maintained that none of them is going to extend support to the other and that they are not in talks with each other. They would bank on individual councillors’ decision, said party chiefs.
Congress has eight seats, BJP 12 (13, with a MP vote) and AAP has 14.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, parties have stepped up their efforts to generate the requisite numbers in the MC House for getting their candidate elected.
Both parties approaching us: Congress chief
Congress councillors are particularly facing the pressure from other parties, claims the party. Congress president Subhash Chawla, said, “Both parties are approaching our councillors. They think Congress has the lowest number of councillors and the party doesn’t have a chance to win the mayoral election. So, they believe that Congress councillors can be easily poached. But they are totally mistaken. The people’s mandate is with the Congress, we have the highest vote share, and the next mayor will be from Congress.”
Party’s first-time councillor and former Panjab University student union president Sachin Galav even claimed that he was approached with an offer of ₹2 crore to switch sides. He didn’t produce any evidence for his claim but alleged that both AAP and BJP tried to fix a meeting with him, and their “representatives” made the offer.
Senior Congress leader Devinder Singh Babla, whose wife Harpreet Kaur got elected from ward 10, also claimed that both AAP and BJP have sent feelers to them. “All parties are contacting us. We are in a wait and watch position,” Babla said.
AAP internal strains spell trouble
AAP, which made major and surprising gains in its first MC election in the city, is facing internal strains on the choice of candidate for the mayor’s post.
The mayor’s post is reserved for a woman councillor in the first and fourth year of a MC house.
“AAP has seven women councillors. Their alignment is different groups within the party. Even though, among the four-groups within the party, the group led by the party’s co-incharge Pardeep Chhabra has ascendency, the other three groups led by party president Prem Garg, veteran leader and former MP Harmohan Dhawan and election campaign committee chairman Chander Mukhi Sharma can still make their presence felt,” said a senior party leader requesting anonymity.
On the selection of the candidate, Chhabra, said, “We are yet to decide on this and will take a call on it later. We are currently busy with preparations for Thursday’s road show of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.”
On the party’s strategy for mayoral elections, Chhabra, said, “After the first round of voting, Congress will be eliminated. Thereafter, AAP, which has the maximum 14 votes, will be declared the winner. Though, voting will be done through secret ballot, there is always a fear of cross-voting.”
Kejriwal in city today
AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will lead the “Victory March” on December 30, 2021. The march will start at Hotel Arima light point at 12.30 pm and will continue for around a kilometre towards Sector 23.