The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday set aside elections scheduled for Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayor in Chandigarh, which were to be held on January 24. The Bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Vikas Suri ordered that the elections be conducted after January 29 as the tenure of the current mayor, Kuldeep Kumar, continues till that date. The notification for the same could be issued prior to January 29.
The decision was issued in response to a writ petition filed by Kuldeep Kumar represented by Senior Counsel Gurminder Singh. The Court found merit in the argument that conducting elections before the completion of the incumbent mayor's tenure would be legally untenable. The court also directed the Chandigarh administration to consider the use of the “show of hands” method for voting during the elections, while referring to concerns regarding transparency and fairness. The administration was also directed to ensure videography of the entire election process enhancing accountability. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier approached the high court, seeking directions for the Chandigarh administration to ensure transparency in the mayoral polls. AAP's councilor from ward number 25 filed the petition demanding, among other things, that voting be conducted by “show of hands” instead of the secret ballot method.
Harpreet Babla is BJP’s Mayor candidate
Even before the announcement of the next hearing date, the Congress and the BJP have declared their candidates. The BJP’s mayor candidate is Harpreet Babla, while Bimla Dubey has been nominated for senior deputy mayor and Lakhbir Singh for deputy mayor. As for the Congress, the candidates for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are Jasbir Bunty and Taruna Mehta, respectively. They submitted their nominations to the secretary of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on Monday. Talking to reporters, Congress president H S Lucky said, “We submitted our nominations before learning about the new poll date. Regardless, our nominations will remain unchanged.”
AAP-Cong alliance to announce its candidate on Mayor post after new elections schedule declared
Talking to ‘The Pioneer’ Senior Chandigarh AAP leader SS Ahluwalia said that no decision has been taken regarding the name of candidate for the post of mayor. No meeting has been held with the Congress party on this issue so far. Party will take a decision regarding the name of the candidate for mayor post after the new election schedule is declared. He accused BJP leaders of putting pressure on UT Administrative officers over mayoral election issues. All the issues related to election should not be decided by the Court. UT officers should be allowed to function independently to conduct the election free and fair and transparently. Sources said that AAP-Congress alliance have delayed to declare the names to minimise internal tussles as much as possible. In AAP, the contest is between the names of municipal councillors Prem Lata, Anju Katyal, and Jaswinder Kaur.
Sources further said that on Sunday, Congress and AAP senior leaders have also held discussions to ensure their alliance's victory for the second time in a row. Many other senior leaders including Rajiv Shukla were present in the meeting. Both the parties discussed the name of the joint candidate for the post of Mayor.
In Chandigarh, the elections for the three municipal posts are held annually in December end or first week of January. According to the rotation system, the first term is reserved for a woman candidate from general category, the second is for any candidate from general category, third for a candidate from Scheduled Caste category, fourth for a woman candidate from general category and fifth for general category. Seats for the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are not reserved.
The AAP has a sitting mayor in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation House with the support of the Congress. This time also, the AAP has decided to continue with the arrangement. Currently, the INDIA bloc (AAP and Congress) commands 21 votes in the MC House — 13 from AAP, seven from Congress and one ex-officio vote of MP Manish Tewari. In contrast, the BJP has only 15 votes and is relying on cross-voting or defection of INDIA bloc councillors to tip the balance in its favour.
The City's Mayor election is always a high-stakes affair, as it is decided not by the public, but by elected councillors, including the Member of Parliament (MP). This time, Congress holds the MP vote, meaning that instead of BJP’s Kirron Kher, Congress MP Manish Tewari will cast the crucial vote. With political alliances in flux and the specter of cross-voting hanging over the election, the outcome remains uncertain.
For the past eight years, the BJP has dominated the Mayor’s office in Chandigarh. The mayoral polls held on January 30, 2024, were marred by allegations of misconduct by BJP councillors and presiding authority Anil Masih. After the case reached the Supreme Court and it made adverse observations, the elected BJP mayor, Manoj Sonkar, resigned. The AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Kumar was later declared the winner. Now, all eyes will be on the Chandigarh Mayoral poll to see which party ultimately prevails in this battle for power.
