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‘BJP can be defeated if INDIA is united’: New Chandigarh mayor after SC declares him winner
The top court annulled the result of the January 30 Chandigarh mayoral election, finding the returning officer guilty of defacing ballots.
AAP's Kuldeep Kumar, declared new Chandigarh mayor by the Supreme Court, hailed the apex court, and said that the result shows that the BJP can be defeated if the opposition INDIA bloc is united.
Also Read: Supreme Court declares AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar as Chandigarh mayoral election winner
“I would like to thank the Supreme Court. This is a win for the people of Chandigarh and the INDIA alliance. This shows that the BJP is not unbeatable and we can defeat them if we stay united,” Kumar told PTI shortly after the Supreme Court's Tuesday verdict.
Kumar, the joint AAP-Congress candidate in the Chandigarh mayoral election, held on January 30, had wept bitterly after the defeat. The AAP and Congress, who are among more than two dozen constituents of the INDIA bloc, had accused the returning officer, the BJP's Anil Masih, of rigging the polls.
Also Read: After SC's verdict, what next for Chandigarh poll official Anil Masih?
Kumar's plea against the election result was heard by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The bench found Masih guilty of intentionally defacing eight ballots, which, the bench said, had votes cast for the petitioner.
The Chandigarh mayoral election had been billed by the AAP-Congress combine as a major poll battle between INDIA, which was formed in July last year, and the Centre's ruling BJP, ahead of the April-May Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP is seeking a third consecutive term at the Centre.
