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Chandigarh mayoral election: FIR against outgoing mayor on poll eve threatens AAP-Congress majority
Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor booked for corruption; his potential absence and possible cross-voting in secret ballot could sway crucial election in the favour of BJP, which is looking for a comeback in Chandigarh after twin losses last year
Just a day before the high-stakes mayoral elections in Chandigarh, the incumbent mayor and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor, Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor, was on Wednesday booked in a corruption case, triggering political turmoil.
The timing of the FIR, which could potentially lead to Dhalor’s arrest, left the AAP-Congress alliance on edge, with concerns that his absence from the vote could jeopardise their 20-vote majority in the 35-member municipal corporation (MC) House. A party needs 19 votes to win.
Concerned about the mayor’s arrest before voting, AAP is reportedly considering approaching the Punjab and Haryana high court for a stay.
The FIR stemmed from a complaint by a Ram Darbar resident who accused Dhalor’s brother-in-law of accepting ₹75,000 bribe in exchange for a job in MC, allegedly at the behest of the mayor.
Another ‘bundle of lies’ orchestrated by BJP: AAP
AAP vehemently denied the allegations, calling the complaint baseless and accusing the BJP of using it to disrupt the mayoral election. SS Ahluwalia, Co-Incharge of AAP Chandigarh, dismissed the complaint as another “bundle of lies” orchestrated by the BJP.
“Whenever the BJP loses elections, it destroys the democracy by filing false complaints and tries to suppress the voice of honest officers by putting pressure on them. AAP and its councillors are not going to be scared of such false complaints,” he claimed.
“Last year too, the BJP had tried to intimidate Dhalor, AAP leader Harjinder Bawa and me by filing a complaint about a councillor’s kidnapping, which was later proved to be false,” he further said.
Alliance on tenterhooks
Dhalor’s arrest could significantly affect the vote share on Thursday, where AAP’s Prem Lata, backed by alliance partner Congress, is contesting against BJP’s Harpreet Kaur Babla.
The AAP-Congress combine holds 20 votes in total—13 from AAP, six from Congress, and one ex-officio vote from MP Manish Tewari. However, with the potential loss of Dhalor’s vote if he is arrested, the alliance’s majority has been threatened.
Besides the FIR and apprehensions of Dhalor’s arrest, the AAP and Congress face another challenge amid the parties’ acrimonious fight in Punjab and Delhi, and ongoing internal rifts within both parties’ Chandigarh units.
Seeking to dispel rumors of any discord in the alliance, Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky declared, “We are united and will together fight against the BJP.”
Defection speculations rife
The BJP, which had 15 members, had recently boosted its strength to 16 after securing the support of three-time Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat, a move that fuelled speculation of further defections from the Opposition alliance.
The saffron fold would be looking to exploit any internal rifts in the alliance while also banking on cross-voting on Thursday to tip the scales in its favour.
A win for the BJP would not only mark a comeback for the party that suffered twin losses in Chandigarh last year— first in mayoral elections and again in the Lok Sabha elections — but also give the party’s momentum a crucial boost ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly elections.
As the political drama unfolds, the big question remains: Will the alliance hold firm and clinch a third consecutive victory or if the BJP will be able to capitalise on internal discord in the Opposition to reclaim power and stage a comeback?
All parties present united front; officers review preparations
In a show of unity, all three parties circulated photos of their respective councillors gathered together on Wednesday.
To ensure the loyalty of their councillors, both AAP and Congress moved their members to undisclosed locations to avoid potential poaching.
According to sources, AAP councillor Poonam, who was dejected over being denied the mayoral ticket, was taken by Congress MP Manish Tewari to Rupnagar on Wednesday in a bid to unite the party’s councillors. All AAP councillors were finally united on Wednesday after days of internal discord.
BJP councillors, along with nominated members, gathered for a lunch at Lake Club. Interestingly, one of the nominated councillors is appointed as presiding officer for the annual mayoral polls and has to be neutral.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav chaired a meeting at the MC office to review the arrangements, including security arrangements, logistics and compliance with the prescribed guidelines.
Eye on fairness, transparency
The Supreme Court has appointed retired justice Jaishree Thakur of the Punjab and Haryana high court to independently observe the mayoral election for fair and transparent polling.
Apprehending a repeat of last year when presiding officer Anil Masih had invalidated eight ballots to change the course of the election in favour of the BJP candidate, AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor had approached the Supreme Court, seeking transparency in the poll process.
The top court has also ordered that the election proceedings be properly videographed.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav confirmed that CCTV cameras had been installed in assembly hall to capture the proceedings from different angles, with arrangements for backup.
Voting through secret ballot
Though the Punjab and Haryana high court had asked UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to consider the option of voting by show of hands to ensure free and fair elections, no such notification was made till filing of the report, meaning that the elections will be held through secret ballot.
Media to stay out
In a repeat from last year, the media will be was restricted to covering the elections from the conference room in the MC office. Any media personnel wishing to cover the proceedings from the assembly hall will be allowed entry only after surrendering their mobile phones and cameras. Until 2023, media was granted full access to cover the proceedings directly from inside the hall.
Gathering of five or more people banned
The UT administration has imposed a ban on gathering of five of more people in and around the MC office ahead of the election.
According to an order issued by district magistrate (DM) Nishant Yadav, there is an apprehension that some groups may cause obstructions, annoyance or injury to the persons lawfully employed or other general public, endanger human life and property, disturb public peace and tranquillity, and cause riots and affray, necessitating immediate action for prevention of the same.
Thus, excising power under Sector 163 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, the DM has banned any gathering of five or more persons in the MC building and within 100 metres from its periphery from January 29 to 30.
