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Hold mayoral polls through show of hands: Chandigarh mayor again writes to Kataria
Chandigarh mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor has once again requested that the upcoming mayoral polls be conducted through a show of hands
In a fresh letter to UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, city mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor has once again requested that the upcoming mayoral polls be conducted through a show of hands.
The letter stated, “It is brought to your kind notice that during the 341st meeting of the General House of the municipal corporation, held on October 29, 2024, it was resolved by majority vote that Regulation 6 of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (Procedure and Conduct of Business) Regulations, 1996, be amended. The resolution proposed that the elections for the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor, and deputy mayor be conducted through a show of hands instead of a secret ballot, to ensure a transparent and equitable election process in the future.”
He therefore requested that in accordance with the resolution, the elections be conducted through a show of hands rather than secret ballot papers. The administration has yet to announce the election schedule.
On January 3, a delegation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor, had met deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, urging that the elections be held in February.
The delegation had submitted a memorandum, highlighting that in 2024, through a Supreme Court decision on a special leave petition (civil), Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor was declared the eligible candidate for the post of mayor.
The delegation pointed out that under Section 38(1) of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the term of office for an elected mayor in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation was one year. They emphasised that the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act (Extension to Chandigarh) Act, 1994, provided in Section 38(1) that the corporation shall, at its first meeting each year, elect one of its members as mayor and two other members as senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
“The municipal corporation is now in its third year. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Kuldeep Kumar assumed the office of mayor on February 20, 2024, and his one-year term will conclude on February 19, 2025. Given these circumstances and the intervention of the Supreme Court, the first meeting of the municipal corporation for 2025 is to be held after the current Mayor’s term concludes. Therefore, it is requested that the election of the mayor be scheduled for February 19,” the delegation stated.
Despite AAP’s memorandum, the deputy commissioner had clarified that the elections will be held in January as per rule, adding that he will soon notify a date for the polls.
