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Chandigarh mayoral polls: Fearing poaching, cautious parties ship out councillors
Having stepped out of race, Congress still keeping its cards close to chest on whether it will abstain from voting
Four days before the high-stakes January 17 mayoral elections, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress on Friday moved their councillors to stations in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the states ruled by them, respectively, to avoid poaching.
Congress was the first in the day to shift its councillors to a hotel in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, and later in the evening, the BJP, too, sent its members to a resort in Morni, Haryana. Following suit, the AAP also moved its councillors to a retreat in Rupnagar, Punjab.
However, unlike last year, when the Congress had decided to abstain from voting four days ahead of the mayoral polls, this time it’s keeping its cards close to the chest.
Though the Congress has not fielded any candidate in a repeat from last year, if its members were to vote, the results could swing any way with just a one-vote difference between the AAP and the BJP.
In the 35-member MC House, both the AAP and the BJP have 14 members each, while six councillors are from the Congress and one is from the SAD. However, the BJP has an edge due to another vote of member of Parliament and ex-officio member Kirron Kher.
If all parties vote, to be elected as the mayor, a candidate would need to secure at least 19 votes, but in case, both the Congress and the SAD abstain from voting, a majority of 15 votes will be required for a win. A draw of lot will be conducted if the candidates get equal votes.
While not revealing much about Congress’ plan in the run up to the polls, party’s Chandigarh president HS Lucky said the councillors might return individually before January 17 and participate in the polls.
The lone SAD councillor, Hardeep Singh, said, “The decision to vote in the elections will be taken on January 16 after a meeting with SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.”
Although sources indicated that SAD would most likely abstain from voting.
Resentment among BJP councillors over mayoral pick
Meanwhile, a day after incumbent deputy mayor Anup Gupta filed nominations as BJP’s mayoral candidate, there was resentment among party’s rank and file over his candidature.
A BJP councillor, not wishing to be named, said, “Ignoring several senior councillors, the party has declared a first-time councillor as the mayoral candidate, especially after giving him the opportunity to become the deputy mayor last year.”
Along with Gupta, the BJP has fielded Kanwarjeet Rana and Harjeet Singh for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
From AAP, Jasbir Singh Laddi will contest for the mayor’s post, while Taruna Mehta and Suman Devi will fight it out for the post of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
Elections for the posts of Chandigarh mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are held every year during the five-year term of the MC House. In the first term in 2022, the BJP had clinched all three posts.
Though both the BJP and the AAP had contested with 14 votes each, BJP’s Sarbjit Kaur had won after defeating AAP’s Anju Katyal by one vote, as AAP’s one vote was declared invalid.
