Chandigarh,
February 2, 2024
Sandeep Dhand ( Ludhiana)
In a dramatic turn of events following the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayoral election held on January 30, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate, Kuldeep Kumar, has approached the Supreme Court after the Punjab and Haryana High Court refused to stay the election results. The AAP and Congress joint candidate alleges fraud and forgery by the presiding officer during the counting process.
On Wednesday, the joint candidate accused the presiding officer of preventing AAP councilors from monitoring the vote count, leading to a petition filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Despite having the highest number of councilors, the AAP-Congress alliance lost to the BJP, which secured the mayoral seat by just four votes. The ruling BJP’s victory dealt a blow to the Congress-AAP alliance in the Municipal Corporation Bhawan.
During the court proceedings, the High Court declined to pass an interim order to stay the election results but directed the Chandigarh administration and Municipal Corporation to respond to the allegations within three weeks.
Kuldeep Kumar, in his petition, demanded fresh elections conducted in a free and fair manner under the supervision of a retired High Court judge. He claimed that the presiding officer rejected eight votes from their alliance, leading to the BJP candidate’s victory.
In response to the disputed election, the Aam Aadmi Party announced a protest in front of the BJP headquarters in Delhi on February 2. AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are set to lead the demonstration against the alleged rigging in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayoral election.
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sandeep Pathak shared a video on ‘X’, stating that the ‘India’ alliance had a clear majority with 20 votes, while the BJP had 16. Pathak accused the BJP of attempting to buy and sell councilors and, failing that, conspiring to postpone the election. The vote count, according to Pathak, saw the fraudulent rejection of eight AAP-Congress votes, leading to the BJP candidate being declared the new mayor.
Expressing concern over the alleged vote theft, Pathak mentioned that the Aam Aadmi Party aims to protest in front of the BJP headquarters to expose the election irregularities and safeguard the integrity of the democratic process.
The election controversy has captured national attention, with political leaders, including those from AAP and Congress, expressing their dismay at the alleged manipulation of the democratic process. As the legal battle unfolds in the Supreme Court, the protests in Delhi mark a significant moment in the ongoing political turmoil surrounding the Chandigarh mayoral election.
The public’s faith in the electoral system has been shaken, raising questions about the transparency and fairness of the democratic process. The outcome of the Supreme Court case and the protests in Delhi may shape the future discourse on electoral integrity and accountability in the country.