Following a dramatic turn of events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today won the Chandigarh mayoral election defeating the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), by just one vote. BJP municipal councilor Sarabjit Kaur today became the new mayor Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayor defeating AAP candidate Anju Katyal.
Though BJP faced humiliating defeat in the corporation polls by bagging only 12 seats, as against earlier 26 seats and the AAP entering the poll arena for the first time performed well by winning 14 seats, the delicate political position of the Congress helped BJP to win the coveted Mayor post.
In view of forthcoming Punjab assembly elections, where Congress and AAP are seen as main contenders, Congress feared to support AAP candidates, sensing that would send wrong signals to Punjab voters. At the same time, it is also unable to support the BJP. So, 7 Congress members stayed away from polls.
Out of the total 36 votes, 28 were polled while seven Congress councillors and the lone Shiromani Akali Dal councillor abstained. BJP’s Kaur bagged 14 votes while Katyal got 13, and one was declared invalid.
While the BJP had 12 votes, municipal councillor from the Congress Harpreet Kaur Babla had joined the BJP days after the poll results were declared taking the BJP’s tally to 13. Since the Chandigarh MP is an ex-officio member in the municipal corporation with a voting right, the BJP’s rally rose to 14, equal to the AAP.
After the result was declared, AAP councillors created a ruckus in the House and police were called in to remove them. AAP leader Raghav Chadha said, “Congress has fraudulently made BJP’s mayor by making its councillor join the BJP through hidden alliance. I want to tell the people of Punjab that Congress-BJP-SAD will form a hidden alliance to stop Aravind Kejriwal in Punjab elections as well.”
