The combined candidates of the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the re-elections for the positions of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (CMC), which dealt a blow to the INDIA bloc coalition on March 4. Rajinder Sharma and Kuljit Singh Sandhu of the BJP were elected to the positions of deputy mayor and senior deputy mayor, respectively.
Sandhu as Senior Deputy and Sharma as Deputy mayor
Kuljeet Singh Sandhu, a member of the BJP, won Monday’s elections to become the senior deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
In the reelection, Rajinder Sharma of the BJP was elected deputy mayor. Gurpreet Gabi of the Congress received 16 votes, compared to 19 for Mr. Sandhu. A single vote was ruled void. The mayor declared the outcome. The BJP has 17 council members in the 35-member municipal body. On February 19, three councilors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) converted to the BJP, bringing its strength to 17.
The Congress has seven members, compared to ten for the AAP. There is one councilor for the Shiromani Akali Dal. However, As an ex-officio member of the corporation, BJP member and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher is also eligible to vote. On February 20, the Supreme Court named defeated AAP-Congress coalition candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the new mayor of Chandigarh, overturning the results of the January 30 mayoral election, in which the BJP nominee had emerged as an improbable winner.
As the newly appointed mayor of Chandigarh, AAP councilor Kumar is in charge of the election process for the two positions. Manoj Sonkar of the BJP had beaten Kumar in the vote held on January 30 to become mayor. The AAP and Congress council members boycotted the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor elections, claiming that votes had been tampered with. As a result, Mr. Sandhu and Rajinder Sharma were elected at that time.
High-voltage drama in SC over previous mayoral results
The Supreme Court overturned the January 30 results of the Chandigarh mayoral poll, declaring defeated AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the city’s new mayor. The election process is being conducted by AAP councilor Mr. Kumar, who recently assumed the charge of Chandigarh mayor. The BJP candidate, Manoj Sonkar, had defeated Kumar in the January 30 poll. The upcoming elections for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation are scheduled for March 4.
The Supreme Court has been tasked with quashing the election of the BJP candidate as the mayor of Chandigarh, following a dispute with Congress councilors Gabi and Devi. Kumar initially moved against the Chandigarh High Court’s declaration of the mayoral result, but after no interim relief, he moved for the election to be quashed. The Chandigarh administration has now scheduled polling for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor positions before the high court.
BJP claims that Chandigarh Mayor is purposefully holding off on taking over
There was no official swearing-in ceremony or event to assume the role, therefore the BJP today questioned Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor about why he was acting like the person in charge. “How is he taking part in the Rose Festival and other city programs as mayor if he doesn’t have the time to lead?” He’s the mayor, how is he making speeches? In a statement, Sanjeev Kumar Rana, the City BJP Secretary and spokesman, stated.
The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress have no connection to the city, as the citizens of the city are fully aware. No, their sole priorities are their positions and interests. He remarked, “They will stop at nothing to degrade the BJP.” However, the deputy mayor and senior deputy mayor elections are managed by the mayor. As an ex-officio member of the corporation, BJP member and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher is also eligible to vote. The Congress has seven members, compared to ten for the AAP.
There is one councilor in the Shiromani Akali Dal. The deputy mayor and senior deputy mayor elections are managed by the mayor. As an ex-officio member of the corporation, BJP member and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher is also eligible to vote. The Congress has seven members, compared to ten for the AAP. There is one councilor in the Shiromani Akali Dal.
