Chandigarh mayoral elections: AAP moves HC against deferment

In his plea, AAP mayoral candidate Kuldeep Dhalor seeks appointment of new presiding officer in place of Anil Masih, who reported sick, leading to the much-awaited election getting deferred.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) approached the Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday afternoon, seeking a “free and fair” election for the post of mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

Chandigarh Police personnel preventing AAP and Congress members from entering the municipal corporation complex after the mayoral elections were deferred on Thursday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

The plea from AAP’s mayoral candidate, Kuldeep Dhalor, seeks the appointment of a new presiding officer in place of Anil Masih, who reported sick in the morning, leading to the much-awaited election getting deferred.

Dhalor also sought the appointment of a court commissioner to supervise the election.

A request seeking early hearing was made in the afternoon before the bench of justice GS Sandhawalia.

The court has allowed the listing of the case for today. The hearing will take place this evening. However, it is yet to be assigned to a bench, one of the counsel, RPS Bara said.

The plea said: “The majority of officers responsible for conducting the election, including the presiding officer and the secretary, municipal corporation, belong to the Haryana cadre, where the BJP is in power and they are under the party’s influence.”

Dhalor said that the respondents were trying to hijack the proceedings of election with “ill intent”.

“It is evident from the fact that only one day before conducting the election, the secretary was removed and an officer belonging to Haryana cadre, where the BJP is the ruling party, has been placed. This action of the administration makes it clear that they are hell bent on helping BJP councillors in any manner and frustrate the election proceedings,” the petition added.