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Panchkula senior deputy mayor, deputy mayor elections postponed after returning officer ‘falls ill’
The delay sparked a political standoff, with Congress leader and MLA Chander Mohan alleging that the postponement was orchestrated by the BJP to avoid an unfavourable outcome.
The election for the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Panchkula municipal corporation was postponed on Monday after the returning officer (RO) and municipal joint commissioner, Simranjit Kaur, reportedly fell ill.
The announcement from Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal came shortly before the voting was scheduled, with a statement that a new date for the election would be announced soon.
The elections were scheduled to take place at Kisan Bhawan in Sector 14, Panchkula, with all 20 councillors in attendance, including 11 from the BJP, eight from Congress, and one from the JJP.
The delay sparked a political standoff, with Congress leader and MLA Chander Mohan alleging that the postponement was orchestrated by the BJP to avoid an unfavourable outcome. He accused the BJP of using unethical tactics, claiming, “The BJP is trying to buy Congress councillors. This postponement is another example of their manipulation to disrupt democracy.”
The delay comes just a day after three councillors—Sunit Singla from Congress, Sushil Garg from JJP, and Omwati Punia, (Independent)—joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini. This move increased the BJP’s strength to 11 seats in the 20-member MC House, providing the party with a clear advantage over Congress, which holds eight seats along with one additional vote from the JJP. BJP mayor Kulbhushan Goyal also holds the tie-breaking vote, further solidifying the ruling party’s advantage.
Chandermohan questioned the credibility of the illness claim, stating that he visited the civil hospital at 11:30 am and found no record of the election officer’s admission. “If the BJP is so confident of its majority with 12 votes, then why did this illness conveniently occur right before the election?” he argued.
The Congress leader also accused the BJP of attempting to bypass court-mandated election deadlines, which had set November 4 as the election date, asserting that the Congress plans to file a contempt of court petition in response.
The Haryana government had previously told the high court that elections would be conducted by September 25, 2024, in response to a petition. The court had expressed concern over the extended vacancy of these critical posts and had mandated the government to address the issue promptly.
Although the elections for the positions of mayor and 20 councillors took place in 2020, the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor were not elected because the BJP, fearing internal dissent, chose not to nominate candidates for these positions despite holding a clear majority in the Panchkula MC House at the time.
