The results of the elections for the post of senior deputy mayor of Chandigarh have been declared, and the Bhartiya Janta Party emerged victorious, with Kujleet Sandhu clinching the seat. Elections for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation were scheduled for today, Monday, which commenced at 10 AM. While the BJP secured 19 votes, the AAP got 16 votes, and 1 vote was declared invalid. The result for the post of deputy mayor is yet to be announced.
Following the High Court’s orders, the elections are being conducted under the chairmanship of Presiding Officer Mayor Kuldeep Kumar.
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation House consists of 35 members, and a party needs 19 votes to win the poll. The BJP has a total of 14 councilors, with three defections from the AAP, an additional ex-officio vote from BJP MP Kirron Kher, and the backing of the lone Akali Dal councilor. In contrast, the AAP possesses 10 councilors, while the Congress secures seven votes.
These elections were slated for February 27; however, as a result of Mayor Kuldeep Kumar’s unavailability as well as the hearing of the petition filed by the Congress councilors in the high court, the elections were postponed.
Earlier, during the Chandigarh mayor polls that were conducted on January 30, the Bhartiya Janta Party’s Manoj Sonkar won the elections. However, accusations were made by AAP against the winning party for breaching fair play. Consequently, the Supreme Court on February 20 overturned the result of the mayoral poll and declared AAP’s counsillor Kuldeep Kumar as the new mayor of Chandigarh.
