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Chandigarh: After poll deferral, leery parties keeping councillors on the move
AAP relocates councillors to undisclosed locations, takes away their phones; Congress shifts its members to Ludhiana; BJP’s councillors resting easy at home
As the battle for power in Chandigarh draws longer, cautious parties are keeping their councillors on the move, even confiscating their phones, leaving nothing to chance.
On Thursday, the deputy commissioner had deferred the Chandigarh mayoral poll till February 6 after the presiding officer, Anil Masih, took ill, triggering protests from AAP and Congress, who accused the BJP of stage-managing the election, fearing defeat.
Further, swinging into action, both AAP and Congress relocated their councillors to guard against potential poaching by the rival BJP.
Since January 12, AAP’s councillors had already been at a Ropar resort, Kikar Lodge. But on Friday evening, they were moved to an undisclosed location.
With each room costing at least ₹8,000 per night, exclusive of taxes, Kikar Lodge was also hosting some of the councillors’ families, all on party’s expense.
For even movement to and from Chandigarh, for filing and withdrawing nominations, councillors were transported in AAP-led Punjab government’s vehicles, guarded by commandoes and personal security officers.
In a step further, now, AAP leaders have even confiscated the councillors’ mobile phones and secured them with personal bodyguards, sources revealed.
When dialled, phone numbers of all AAP councillors were either switched off or not answered.
The Congress has also moved its councillors to Ludhiana and is also footing the cost of their lodging.
Meanwhile, most of the BJP councillors are resting easy at their homes. For party meetings, they are meeting at the PWD Guest House in Panchkula’s Sector 1. Some are even staying there.
Last year also, to ensure the unity of its members before the mayoral poll, AAP had moved its councillors to the same lodge, whereas the BJP had asked its councillors to shift to Ambala, but some of them had refused.
In 2022, the BJP had chosen to relocate its freshly elected councillors to Shimla.
The Congress had also opted to move its councillors to Jaipur and AAP to Delhi. Despite these measures, Congress councillor Harpreet Kaur Babla had joined the BJP the next day, influencing the outcome of the mayoral election in the BJP’s favour.
BJP has murdered democracy in the city: AAP-Congress
“MC secretary Gurinder Singh Sodhi and presiding officer Anil Masih were deliberately announced ‘ill’ as part of BJP’s attempt to delay the mayoral poll,” Chandigarh AAP co-incharge SS Ahluwalia and local Congress president HS Lucky alleged at a joint press conference in the city on Friday.
AAP councillor Damanpreet Singh and Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat were also present.
Ahluwalia said, “BJP has murdered democracy in the city. Due to BJP’s fear of defeat, the elections were deliberately postponed. It was already afraid that if AAP and Congress fight the election together, it will be thrown out of power. Because of this, BJP was busy pushing the elections since Day 1. First BJP leaders, with the help of the Chandigarh Police, tried to forcibly take away Congress’ mayoral candidate Jasbir Singh Bunty and then he was forcibly detained in his house.”
“But the BJP did not stop here. After that, the secretary was sent on leave on the pretext of illness. The new officer appointed in his place has never picked up our calls till date. All limits were crossed when the presiding officer was admitted to the hospital on the pretext of illness on the election day and the election was postponed to avoid defeat,” he added.
Lucky said, “January 18 will be known as a black day in the history of Chandigarh MC. Attempts have been made by the BJP to make the administrative officers sick. BJP is doing all this anticipating its defeat. Victory and defeat are part of democracy. BJP should accept this.”
“We request the UT administrator to intervene and conduct the elections in a clean manner. The election has been deferred till February 6, which is a blatant attack on democracy,” Lucky added.
