BJP drops Anil Masih from its office-bearers list

Anil Masih, the presiding officer of the Chandigarh mayoral elections, who is embroiled in a vote-rigging scandal, has been divested of the post of minority morcha general secretary

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dropped Anil Masih, the presiding officer of the Chandigarh mayoral elections who is embroiled in a vote-rigging scandal, from its list of office-bearers.

Anil Masih, who has been the general secretary of the saffron party’s minority morcha since 2021, has been divested of the post. (HT File)

The party rejigged its local team on Sunday, following which a fresh list was released.

Masih, who has been the general secretary of the saffron party’s minority morcha since 2021, has been divested of the post.

The development comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court taking a stern view of a video, in which Masih is purportedly seen tampering with eight votes during the counting process. Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, which had a combined strength of 20 in the House, had lost the mayoral post to the BJP, which had 15 councillors and the support of the BJP MP who is the ex- officio member of the House, after eight votes were declared invalid.

During the hearing on February 5, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud came down heavily on Masih and stated: “He is murdering democracy. Is this the way an officer has to conduct elections? We are appalled by his conduct...Please tell the presiding officer that the Supreme Court is watching him.”

While the saffron party’s latest move is being seen as its attempt to distance itself from the controversial presiding officer, Chandigarh BJP chief Jatinder Pal Malhotra maintained that the party wants to bring fresh faces. “Masih’s term has ended, and the party wants to give a chance to new people,” said Malhotra.

BJP spokesperson Sanjeev Rana cited a different reason. “The party has decided not to have nominated councillors as office-bearers of any wing; thus Masih’s name did not figure in the latest list,” he said.

Masih, meanwhile, remained unavailable for comments despite several attempts to reach him.

Masih had joined the BJP as a member in 2015. In 2021, he was appointed the general secretary of the party’s minority morcha. A year later, in October 2022, the party nominated him as a councillor — a post that lasts for five years.