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Final nomination day arrives, but candidates for Chandigarh mayoral polls still unknown
The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, part of the INDIA bloc, are set to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party for the three key posts in the municipal corporation — mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor
Even as January 20 (Monday) is the last day to file nominations for the mayoral elections on January 24, political parties continued to hold back on announcing their candidates on Sunday.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, part of the INDIA bloc, are set to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the three key posts in the municipal corporation — mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. But none of them has revealed their choices.
AAP leader Dr Sunny Ahluwalia said, “Discussions are still ongoing in Delhi. We will announce the candidates on Monday only.”
Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra confirmed the party will declare its candidates at 2 pm on Monday.
Within the BJP, Harpreet Kaur Babla is being considered for mayor, while six women councillors from the AAP are also eyeing the position, with Prem Lata as a possible front-runner.
Congress is focusing on the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor posts, with Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky saying the final decisions will be made on Monday after the outcome of the high court hearing.
HC to take up AAP plea to delay polls today
On Monday, the Punjab and Haryana high court is set to hear AAP’s plea, asking for the mayoral polls to be delayed until February and for voting to be done by show of hands. The court’s decision could affect the election process.
AAP wants its sitting mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor to complete his one-year term, while the UT administration insists elections must happen in January as per MC’s five-year rotation system.
In the 2024 mayoral polls, Dhalor had initially lost to BJP nominee Manoj Sonkar. However, the rigging done by presiding officer Anil Masih was captured on live camera and the election was nullified by the Supreme Court on February 20. This had led to Dhalor becoming the city’s first non-Congress and non-BJP mayor.
The AAP-Congress combine is likely to maintain their hold on key positions this year too, thanks to their majority with 21 votes in the 35-member MC. The BJP, on the other hand, has just 15 votes, and is hoping for cross-voting or defections. A party needs 19 votes to win the poll.
