How BJP pipped AAP to win all three top posts in Chandigarh Mayoral election

A high drama prevailed in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation building after the results for the election of Mayor were declared. BJP candidate Sarabjit Kaur polled 14 votes while her immediate rival and AAP candidate Anju Katyal got 13 votes.

Interestingly the BJP and the AAP had 14 votes each. But one vote polled by an AAP councillor with a tick mark on its back was declared invalid, thus giving lead to the saffron party candidate. This all happened in the presence of Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher, ex-officio member of the House.

The BJP yet again occupied the top positions of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation after alleged horse-trading and misuse of government machinery in Chandigarh on Saturday. The saffron party won all three top posts – Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor- in the Mayoral elections.

The question is as to who had marked the ballot paper of one AAP councillor with a ‘tick’. If AAP councillor himself marked it, does it mean that he had struck a deal with BJP? What would have happened if the election had got tied between BJP and AAP?

The House witnessed a ruckus as the irate AAP councillors lodged a protest and shouted slogans against the BJP and district administration for allegedly rigging the polls.

BJP MP Kirron Kher slammed the AAP leaders saying that they should have read the rule book before making any comment.

Members of both the parties also exchanged heated arguments over the highhandedness of the BJP and district administration.

Alleging favouritism for the BJP, they stopped officials, including the Deputy Commissioner and the Secretary, from leaving the chair. The AAP councillors also tried to push the newly elected Mayor Sarabjit Kaur from her seat.

The situation started aggravating, the DC had to call the police and marshals to push out the AAP councillors and their supporters.

BJP’s Dalip Sharma beat AAP’s Prem Lata by two votes and was declared Senior Deputy Mayor. Sharma polled 15 votes against Lata’s 13. One cross voting by AAP helped the BJP win the post. For the post of Deputy Mayor, BJP’s Anup Gupta won through a draw of lots.

In a house of 35 seats, the Congress had won eight seats, but its councillor Harpreet Kaur Babla joined BJP days before the elections for the mayor. The party was left with seven seats while SAD has a lone councillor. Both Congress and SAD had abstained from the election for the mayoral post.