Chandigarh mayoral polls: BJP's Manoj Sonkar has been elected as the new Chandigarh mayor as the party secured victory in the polls. BJP got 16 votes, while Congress had 12 votes in their favor and 8 votes were rejected.
The elections to the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are being held following directions from Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Heavy police deployment
Heavy police deployment is being put in place for the mayoral polls in Chandigarh. Approximately 800 police personnel, in addition to those from the paramilitary force, will be stationed during the polling process. Additionally, a three-layer barricade will encircle the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
The police have also been instructed to ensure that no disturbance or untoward incident occurs on or near the premises of the civic body during or after the election process.
It has also been instructed that no Punjab Police personnel will be allowed to enter the Municipal Corporation with the Aam Aadmi Party or Congress councillors of the Municipal Corporation or with any other Aam Aadmi Party leader.
During the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation Mayor elections, media will not be allowed inside the House for coverage of the elections. Preparations are being made by the Municipal Corporation to install a screen to show the coverage of the elections, on which the media will be able to watch the live proceedings of the elections.
Notably, the election of the mayor is done through a secret ballot. For this year's elections, which mark the third for this term, the mayor's seat has been reserved for the Scheduled Caste category.
Chandigarh mayoral polls
According to news agency PTI, for the mayor seat, the BJP has fielded Manoj Sonkar while the AAP has nominated Kuldeep Kumar Tita. For the post of senior deputy mayor, the contest will be between BJP's Kuljeet Sandhu and Congress's Gurpreet Singh Gabi. For the post of deputy mayor, the BJP has fielded Rajinder Sharma while the Congress party's nominee is Nirmala Devi.
The mayoral polls this time assume significance as the Congress and AAP (both INDIA bloc members) have joined hands to contest the elections to oust the BJP from the chair of mayor which it has been winning for the last eight years. As part of the alliance, the AAP is contesting for the mayor's post while the Congress is fielding candidates for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
The mayor is elected by the councillors through secret ballots. Hence, the possibility of cross-voting cannot be ruled out. The Congress abstained from voting in 2022 and 2023, leading to the BJP's victory in the mayoral polls.
Elections for the three posts (f mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor) are held every year during the five-year term of the House.
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation consists of 35 members, where the BJP commands a presence with 14 councillors. Additionally, there is an ex-officio member, MP Kirron Kher, affiliated with the BJP and possessing voting rights. The AAP holds 13 seats, the Congress has seven, and the Shiromani Akali Dal represents one councillor in the municipal assembly.
Mayoral polls postponed
The mayoral polls, initially slated to be held on January 18, were deferred to February 6 after Anil Masih -- the presiding officer -- fell sick, triggering protests from the Congress and AAP councillors. The administration had postponed the polls after assessing the law-and-order situation at that time. The decision to defer the polls had sparked protests from the Congress and AAP councillors.
AAP's mayoral candidate Kuldeep Kumar challenged the Chandigarh deputy commissioner's decision to defer the elections in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The court's January 24 order directed the administration to hold the mayoral polls at 10 am on January 30, overturning the earlier postponement and deeming it "unreasonable, unjustified, and arbitrary." Additionally, the court ruled that councillors casting their votes should not be accompanied by supporters or security personnel from other states.
