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Chandigarh Mayor Polls challenged in HC after BJP candidate declared winner

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Tuesday January 30, 2024 allowed urgent hearing on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) challenging the Chandigarh Mayor elections. Read More

Tuesday January 30, 2024 10:36 PM , ummid.com with inputs from Agencies

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court Tuesday January 30, 2024 allowed urgent hearing on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) challenging the Chandigarh Mayor elections.

Polling to elect the new Mayor of Chandigarh was held today amid tight security. Manoj Sonkar of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Kuldeep Kumar Singh of Congress-AAP combined were in direct contest.

How BJP candidate won?

As per the vote count, Kuldeep Singh got 20 votes whereas Manoj Sonkar secured 16 votes. However, Presiding Officer Anil Masih termed 08 votes of Congress and AAP members invalid and declared the BJP candidate winner.

In his plea, Kuldeep Kumar alleged tampering in the ballot papers and petitioned the High Court to order fresh elections.

Voting to elect the new Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation was originally scheduled on January 18, 2024. The election was however cancelled citing “law and order issue”.

The postponement of the election was challenged in the High Court. In response, the HC asked the Chandigarh Administration to hold the Mayor Elections on January 30, 2024.

Along with the Mayoral elections, the High Court also asked the Chandigarh civic officials to hold elections for Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Did Presiding Officer rig the ballot papers?

Earlier, AAP and Congress members alleged that the Presiding Officer rigged the ballot papers. They alleged that the Presiding Officer tick-marked on the ballot papers so as to term them invalid. The also release a video to justify their claim.

Commenting on the manner in which the BJP candidate was declared winner in the otherwise one-sided elections in the favour of Congress-AAP candidate, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal compared it with the 2020 U.S. elections that Donald Trump lost but refused to leave the office.

"Today's election showed to what lengths they (the BJP) can go to win an election. I think they will do anything... falsify voter lists, falsify votes, and capture EVM (Electronic Voting Machines)... I am also thinking that, by grace of God, if INDIA wins then, like Trump, they won't leave their seats”, Kejriwal told reporters.

Soon after the Chandigarh Mayoral Election result was announced Kejriwal took to the social media site X to express his concerns.

"If these people can stoop so low in a mayor's election, then they can go to any extent in the country's elections. This is very worrying", he wrote on the micro blogging site originally launched as Twitter.

Speaking at a hurriedly called press conference, AAP leader Raghav Chadha claimed that all 08 votes declared "invalid" had been for his party's candidate. Had those votes counted, the AAP would have won.

"This is an act of treason (desh droh). Eight votes, all ours, declared (invalid)," he said.

"When a vote is declared invalid, the Presiding Officer has to show agents of all parties (the ballot paper). But today this didn't happen", the AAP Rajya Sabha MP said.

 

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