The Aam Aadmi Party, which entered the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections for the first time, was successful in winning 14 out of 35 seats. In the mayoral election, out of total 36 votes, only 28 votes were cast. BJP and AAP candidates had 14 votes each, but BJP candidate Sarabjit Kaur won after BJP councilor and presiding officer Mahesh Inder Singh declared one AAP vote invalid. Congress and Akali Dal did not participate in the election.
Chandigarh Mayor Sarabjit Kaur in the middle with Senior Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayor. (Photo Credits: Twitter/@BJP4Chandigarh)
Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party has accused the BJP of “murdering democracy” after it lost the Mayor’s election in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation by one vote on January 8. In fact, during the election for the post of mayor on Saturday (January 08), a vote of the Aam Aadmi Party was rejected.
Despite the BJP’s poor performance in the Chandigarh civic polls last month, party’s candidate Sarabjit Kaur has won the mayor’s post by just one vote. Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor all three posts went to BJP’s account.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which entered the local municipal elections for the first time, was expected to win the mayoral election after emerging as the single largest party in the election.
In the mayoral election on January 8, out of total 36 votes, only 28 votes were cast, as seven Congress councilors and the lone Shiromani Akali Dal councilor did not take part in this voting.
Although the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party candidates were tied on 14–14 votes, BJP’s candidate Sabarjit Kaur won after one vote was rejected in favor of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Where the Aam Aadmi Party claims that there was no valid reason to declare the vote invalid. At the same time, BJP sources say that the vote was rejected because there was a ‘tick’ mark on the back of the ballot. However, the Aam Aadmi Party is not satisfied with this clarification.
How BJP got profit
Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the single largest party in the Chandigarh municipal elections. It had won 14 out of 35 seats in the civic body. At the same time, the ruling BJP had won only 12 seats. Congress won eight of the remaining seats, while one seat went to the Shiromani Akali Dal.
BJP wins all three positions in the Municipal Corporation Voting for offices of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Mayor: Mrs. Sarabjit Kaur BJP
Senior Deputy Mayor : Shri Dalip Sharma BJP
Deputy Mayor : Shri Anup Sharma BJP
SAFFRON WAVE IN CHANDIGARH ✊✌️ pic.twitter.com/ZCHjvRKKpC— Kirron Kher (@KirronKherBJP) January 8, 2022
Soon after the announcement of the results, BJP state president Arun Sood the wire Told that his party’s desire is to sit in the opposition. However, he later expressed the party’s desire to contest for the mayor’s election.
After the announcement of Sood, many types of speculations were being made. Congress and Aam Aadmi Party members had alleged in the press conference that the BJP had tried to buy their candidates by offering them huge sums of money.
BJP leaders have denied these allegations.
The BJP’s chances of returning to power in the region were boosted when newly elected Congress councilor Harpreet Kaur Babla joined the BJP. Due to this, the number of BJP in the civic body increased to 13.
After BJP MP from Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat Kirron Kher cast ex-officio vote in the house, BJP could equal 14 votes of Aam Aadmi Party. After this, the BJP overtook the Aam Aadmi Party in this power struggle.
Now since there is no anti-defection law, the BJP has benefited from the Congress councilor’s change of party.
Efforts were made to amend this law in 2018 including provisions against defection. Although the BJP had a majority of more than two-thirds at that time, it did not show any enthusiasm about amending the law.
The political drama continued for the day even after the Congress councilor changed his party. After this, the Congress took its remaining seven councilors to Jaipur, while the Aam Aadmi Party reached Delhi with its councilors. At the same time, the BJP made arrangements for its councilors to stay in the party-ruled Shimla.
The mayoral election became even more interesting when the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal decided to boycott it. With the support of 14 corporators from the BJP and AAP, Aam Aadmi Party Chandigarh convener Prem Garg was hopeful that the final decision would be taken through a draw.
Vote declared invalid
The candidates of both the parties had 14-14 votes, but BJP candidate Sarabjit won after the vote of a councilor of Aam Aadmi Party was declared invalid.
Mahesh Inder Singh, the presiding officer of this election, had declared the vote of Aam Aadmi Party councilor invalid. Mahesh himself is a BJP corporator, who won the municipal elections by just nine votes.
Chandigarh Police had to intervene to control the situation amid allegations of disturbances on the part of AAP members. (Photo Credits: Twitter/nagarkoti)
After this, Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate Anju Katyal had only 13 votes, while BJP’s candidate Sarabjit Kaur had 14 votes, out of which 13 were from her own party’s councillors, while one from Chandigarh BJP MP Kirron Kher. The vote was
After this, the angry Aam Aadmi Party councilors went to the place where the new mayor was seated and started protesting. The marshals stationed there also could not control the situation, after which Chandigarh Police had to intervene.
Chandigarh Mayoral polls
Scenes inside MC house 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZZz1o88trV
— Rajinder S Nagarkoti Rajinder Singh Nagarkoti (@nagarkoti) January 8, 2022
Later, Aam Aadmi Party MLA and co-in-charge of Punjab affairs Raghav Chadha also reached the municipal corporation and accused the BJP of wrongdoing.
Chadha, while demanding re-polling, told the media that the BJP has cheated in the mayoral election and this election has also exposed the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress.
He said, ‘I want to tell the people of Punjab that the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress formed an alliance to keep the Aam Aadmi Party away in Chandigarh.’
Meanwhile, the demand for re-polling for the post of mayor was rejected and the new mayor has taken over.
Murder of Democracy: Aam Aadmi Party
Prem Garg, Convenor of Aam Aadmi Party Chandigarh the wire Said in conversation that democracy has been murdered in the mayoral election. He said the mandate of the people was to bring the Aam Aadmi Party to power, which was evident from the election results, but the BJP, as usual, spent crores of rupees to buy councilors of other parties.
“Even this was not enough, the BJP declared a councilor’s vote invalid to win its candidate as the new mayor,” he said. this is outrageous. This is an unfair choice. We are against these results.
Garg and his other party members are protesting outside the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation building in Sector-17. Garg says that the entire administrative machinery of Chandigarh helped the BJP in the elections. BJP has proved that it can fall to any level to win elections.
He accused the BJP of not allowing the anti-defection law to be implemented in the civic body.
He said, ‘BJP has been playing this dirty game here for many years. They know that if anti-defection law is implemented here, they will not be able to play the power game.
Garg also accused the Congress. He said, ‘It has been proved that BJP and Congress were fighting elections together in Chandigarh. Both had conspired to keep the Aam Aadmi Party away from the post of mayor, but people are watching them. The people of Punjab (where assembly elections will be held soon) will teach them a lesson.
Was there a breach in the Aam Aadmi Party camp itself?
It is possible that no one from the AAP camp has supported the party amidst allegations of irregularities in voting by the Aam Aadmi Party.
In the election of Senior Deputy Mayor, BJP candidate won by 15 votes against 13 votes. The BJP had a maximum of 14 votes, so a councilor of the Aam Aadmi Party would have voted for the BJP candidate. This increases the chances that the same councilor has deliberately submitted invalid ballot papers so that the BJP candidate can win.
In the election of deputy mayor, both the parties (BJP, AAP) once again had 14-14 votes, but the luck of the BJP once again shone and it won by a draw.
BJP leaders, on the other hand, say that their victory is the result of the party’s development work in the last five years. Addressing the House, newly elected Mayor Sarabjit Kaur claimed that the party would continue the development works.
The term of the mayor will end in one year and next year fresh elections will be held again.
(Click here to read this report in English.)
read this also…
Categories: Politics, Special
.
