Chandigarh Mayoral poll today; Opposition sure of win, BJP eyes cross-voting

CHANDIGARH: Will the ruling BJP be able to spring a surprise or the Congress-AAP alliance, which has more votes, will have its way will become clear as the mayoral poll are scheduled to be held at the assembly hall of the Municipal Corporation office at 10 am on Tuesday.

The elections for the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor were earlier scheduled to be held on January 18, but were postponed at the eleventh hour in a dramatic manner, owing to ill health of presiding authority Anil Masih.

The matter had reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which directed the Administration to hold the elections on January 30, instead of February 6, as was announced by Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh.

BJP councillor Manoj Sonkar is pitted against AAP’s Kuldeep Dhalor (Tita), the alliance candidate, for the post of Mayor. Ruling party’s councillors Kuljit Singh and Rajinder Sharma will take on Congress’ Gurpreet Singh Gabi and Nirmala Devi for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively. The alliance between the Congress and AAP, which has been formed for the first time in the country to contest an election, has a total of 20 votes — 13 of AAP and seven of the Congress, whereas the ruling BJP has 15 votes (14 councillors and an ex-officio member i.e. MP). The SAD, which has one vote, is yet take call on which side to support. City SAD president and party’s lone councillor Hardeep Singh said, “If the DC does not entertain my request for providing NOTA option, I will speak to our president Sukhbir Singh Badal to decide the further course of action.”

Meanwhile, AAP and Congress councillors, who were away to different locations in Punjab, were on their way to the city. The SAD as well as the Congress had abstained from voting on the previous two occasions in the current term of the MC, causing a direct contest between the BJP and AAP. The saffron party had won both times.

In Tuesday’s clash, the ruling party needs at least three cross-votes to win the poll, if the SAD vote is not taken into account. However, invalid votes, if any, will also impact the election result. It is said sometimes councillors deliberately cut the ballot paper or put a tick or cross mark or place the vote stamp outside the designated area to make the vote invalid.

The Congress, meanwhile, slammed the BJP for not allowing the media to be present during the polling in the assembly hall on Tuesday.

HS Lucky, president, city Congress, said, “Not allowing the media to cover the elections is not in accordance with the court’s order. The court did not say anywhere that the media will not be allowed to cover the elections. The orders are to conduct free and fair elections. Through the media, the people of city would have witnessed the transparency in the mayor elections. The BJP can go to any extent to avoid its defeat.”