The upcoming Chandigarh mayoral election, set for January 30, has turned into a fierce political contest as the BJP ramps up its efforts, hoping to reclaim the coveted mayoral seat.
A win in this election would not only allow the BJP to exact sweet revenge for its twin losses in Chandigarh — first in last year’s 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.
Memories of its narrow defeat in the June 2024 Lok Sabha elections still fresh, the high-stakes mayoral elections have thus become a do-or-die battle for the BJP that will help it regain its lost political foothold in the city.
Sworn enemies in Delhi and Punjab, the AAP and the Congress had joined forces in Chandigarh as part of INDIA bloc ahead of the 2024 mayoral polls, going on to wrest the mayoral seat, which had been in BJP’s control for eight straight years.
The power-sharing formula also helped the alliance reclaim the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat held by the BJP for two successive terms since 2014. Through a wafer-thin margin of 2,504 votes, Congress’ Manish Tewari had defeated BJP’s Sanjay Tandon, inflicting a severe upset on the saffron fold.
{{/usCountry}}The power-sharing formula also helped the alliance reclaim the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat held by the BJP for two successive terms since 2014. Through a wafer-thin margin of 2,504 votes, Congress’ Manish Tewari had defeated BJP’s Sanjay Tandon, inflicting a severe upset on the saffron fold.
{{/usCountry}}In addition to regaining political clout in Chandigarh through the mayoral seat, the BJP is also striving to repair its reputation after last year’s ballot-tampering controversy, involving its leader Anil Masih.
Presiding officer of the 2024 mayoral election, Masih, also a nominated councillor in MC, was caught on camera invalidating eight ballots cast in favour of AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor in an attempt to secure victory for BJP’s Manoj Sonkar.
Overturning the result after holding that the vote tampering was deliberate, the Supreme Court had eventually declared Dhalor the winner, giving the city its first non-BJP, non-Congress mayor.
The incident triggered nationwide outrage and damaged the BJP’s credibility, clearly reflected in the Lok Sabha results.
Cut to the 2025 mayoral polls, the party is determined to overcome past missteps and secure victory.
Secures key defection before polls
Three days before the high-stakes mayoral polls, it managed to bring into its fold three-time Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat, bumping up its strength in the 35-member MC House to 16. The INDIA bloc still holds a solid majority with 20 votes — 13 from AAP, six from Congress and one ex-officio vote of MP Manish Tewari.
Thus, AAP and Congress are going to great lengths to prevent further defections, moving their councillors to resorts and hotels.
While the BJP claims that its development agenda is attracting cross-party support, AAP leader Dr Sunny Ahluwalia has accused the party of using money and power to sway loyalties.
Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra exudes confidence of a surprise victory, claiming that the party has a united base of 16 councillors and hopes to gain additional support from other factions.
Thus, the election is more than just a mayoral race. For the BJP, it’s a chance to regain political ground in Chandigarh and also restore some of the lost credibility ahead of the Delhi assembly elections. For the AAP-Congress alliance, their localised “marriage of convenience” will be tested as they try to retain their hold on the city.