Chandigarh mayoral polls: BJP, Cong-AAP to face off in much-awaited rematch

Stage set for intense clash with BJP’s 15 votes stacked against the INDIA alliance’s 20; party presidents and media not allowed to witness the polls for the first time

Deferred on January 18 due to the presiding officer “falling ill”, the high-stakes Chandigarh mayoral polls, now scheduled to take place at 10 am on Tuesday, are set to witness a fierce clash between the Congress-AAP alliance and the BJP.

As many as 700 cops will remain on duty to ensure peaceful polling on Tuesday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

The saffron party is on the brink of defeat if the alliance plan materialises, with 15 votes in its favour, including one of the local MP, against the latter’s 20. To be elected, a mayoral candidate must gather 19 votes.

However, since the mayor is elected by the councillors through secret ballot, the possibility of cross-voting cannot be ruled out — the BJP’s only hope of retaining the Chandigarh mayor’s chair that it has held for eight straight years.

Elections for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor will be held simultaneously at the Municipal Corporation (MC) building.

Nominated councillor Anil Masih, whose apparent illness led to the deferment of elections, will return as the presiding officer, as per the deputy commissioner’s order.

January 30 picked after HC rap

While the UT administration had initially deferred the elections till February 6, it notified January 30 as the new date after a rebuke from the Punjab and Haryana high court.

On January 24, the court held that the elections were deferred on “absurd and frivolous” grounds.

The court heard the matter on multiple occasions, giving UT strict directions to decide on an earliest-possible date for the polls after AAP councillor Kuldeep Dhalor challenged its decision to postpone the elections till February 6.

The Congress and the AAP had accused the BJP of orchestrating the turn of events on January 18, fearing “imminent defeat”. The BJP had dismissed the allegation.

Curtain raiser to Lok Sabha polls

Though the city elects a new mayor every year, the stakes are higher this time around, as the mayoral polls in Chandigarh, featuring the first INDIA bloc vs BJP battle, will set the tone for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Part of the INDIA bloc, AAP and Congress — otherwise bitter political rivals in Delhi and Punjab — have come together in Chandigarh to take on the BJP juggernaut nationally.

For the mayor’s post, reserved for the Scheduled Caste category in the third of the five-year term, the fight will be between AAP’s Kuldeep Dhalor and BJP’s Manoj Sonkar, as the Congress has settled for the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor posts as part of the alliance agreement.

Congress councillors Gurpreet Singh Gabi and Nirmala Devi will contest for the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor posts, respectively. The BJP has fielded Kuljeet Sandhu and Rajinder Sharma for the two posts, respectively.

Media not allowed to witness elections

For the first time, party presidents and even the media will not be allowed to witness the elections in the Assembly Hall of the MC.

Also, in line with high court’s orders, councillors will not be accompanied by supporters or security personnel belonging to any other state while arriving for voting.

In a notice to councillors, MC secretary Isha Kamboj said, “As per HC’s directions, no passes shall be issued for the elections to the post of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. Also, councillors are requested to bring their identity cards.”

“We are ready for the polls and are sure to win this time. But why is the media not allowed in the assembly hall? The administration, under the pressure of BJP, is trying to suppress democracy. We earnestly request the UT administrator to ensure transparency in the elections,” said HS Lucky, Chandigarh Congress president.

AAP leader Prem Garg said the BJP was trying hard to win by adopting shrewd politics. “But in the end, only the truth will prevail and the mandate of the people of the city will be proved true with the alliance’s victory,” he said.

BJP Chandigarh president Jatinder Pal Malhotra was not available for a comment.