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Chandigarh Club elections: Less than 50% members vote amid scuffle, verbal volleys
Out of a total of 7,441 eligible members, only 44% — 3,292 — showed up to pick Chandigarh Club’s next governing council
Being held after an eight-year gap, the Chandigarh Club elections saw a lacklustre return, with only 44% members casting their votes amid chaotic scenes of confrontations.
Out of a total of 7,441 eligible members, less than 50% — 3,292 — showed up to pick the club’s next governing council. The current council was elected way back in 2016, but subsequent elections were delayed owing to legal disputes and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The turnout on Saturday included 1,971 general category members, 1,157 senior citizens and 164 women.
However, many senior citizens complained they could not vote due to long queues, absolute traffic chaos outside the club and parking mismanagement.
Counting of votes will begin at 9 am on November 17 and the results will be out by noon.
The voting, which began at 9 am, quickly turned heated as a physical confrontation erupted between two vice-presidential candidates, Anurag Chopra and advocate Karan Nanda, with the latter grabbing the former by the neck in full view of polling agents, election officers and security personnel. The altercation was captured on video. Sources also reported a heated argument between Nanda and former city mayor Ravinder Palli over allegations of fake voters.
A DSP and SHO, along with police force, were deployed at the club, but their presence seemed minimal during the scuffle. It was only after private security personnel’s intervention that order was restored and polling continued. No written complaint was given to the police.
3 vying for president’s post
The race for president featured three city-based businessmen—Naresh Chaudhary, Sunil Khanna and Ranmeet Singh Chahal—while Anurag Aggarwal, Anurag Chopra and Karan Nanda competed for the vice-president’s position. Additionally, around 20 candidates were vying for the eight executive member posts.
Established in 1957, Chandigarh Club is the city’s oldest social spot in upscale Sector 1. Its election had garnered significant attention due to its notable membership list, which includes former and serving ministers and politicians from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, as well as judges, bureaucrats, lawyers and business leaders.
In another controversy, earlier on October 25, a group of club members had submitted a representation to the UT adviser, accusing the current governing body, led by incumbent president Sandeep Sahni, of corruption, mismanagement and tax evasion.
This led to a lawsuit, with Sahni and presidential candidate Sunil Khanna seeking court intervention to restrain defamatory statements by members Kanwaljit Singh Walia and Navneet Modi, as well as Google India. A restraining order was issued, but Sahni later alleged it was violated, leading to a contempt notice against Walia and Google.
