Chandigarh: HC to hear fresh plea from AAP seeking mayoral poll in 24 hours

The Punjab and Haryana high court will hear a plea from AAP demanding that the Chandigarh mayoral poll be held within 24 hours. AAP and Congress, contesting as allies, have 20 votes, while the ruling BJP has 15. This is the third plea from AAP and fourth from the Congress-AAP alliance on the election, which was deferred due to the presiding officer's ill health. AAP and Congress have accused UT officials of supporting the BJP.

{Mayoral poll in 24 hours}

Security personnel outside the MC Office in Sector 17, Chandigarh. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Saturday will take up a fresh plea from AAP on the Chandigarh mayoral poll.

The plea from AAP’s mayoral candidate Kuldeep Dhalor challenges UT administration’s decision to defer the election till February 6 and demands that it be held within 24 hours. It also demands that a court commissioner be appointed for free and fair elections.

In the 35-member MC House, AAP and Congress, who are contesting the election as allies, have 20 votes. On the other hand, BJP, which has been ruling MC for eight years now, has 15 votes —14 of councillors and one of MP Kirron Kher.

This is the third plea from AAP and fourth from the Congress-AAP alliance on the high-stakes elections, which was scheduled on January 18, but deferred by the administration owing to the presiding officer’s “ill health”.

Congress and AAP have been accusing UT officials of siding with the BJP and deferring the poll to allow the saffron party time to muster support by horse-trading.

The petition says even as a plea on the issue of election was pending before HC on Thursday afternoon and was to be taken up following a request for urgent hearing, an order was passed by the administration, deferring the poll till February 6. This is totally illegal, arbitrary and bad in the eyes of law, as the order was passed with the intent to overreach and frustrate the proceedings pending before the court, it adds.