Voting process is underway for the Chandigarh mayoral election, the first battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition’s INDIA bloc before the Lok Sabha polls. The saffron party is pitted against the alliance of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress.
Security has been tightened in the city amid the mayoral polls along with a three-layer barricade around the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
HEAVY SECURITY
Around 800 police personnel, along with those from the paramilitary forces are deployed in view of the polling process.
The high court earlier directed the Chandigarh police to ensure the councillors’ security as well.
Additionally, it asked the police to ensure that no ruckus or untoward incident takes place on or around the premises of the civic body during or after the mayoral election.
WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT?
The mayoral poll in Chandigarh holds a certain importance as the INDIA bloc members, Congress and AAP, have joined hands to contest this election against the BJP.
As an alliance, AAP is contesting for the mayor’s position while Congress candidates are running for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor post.
Notably, the saffron party has held the mayor’s post for the past eight years. The party has 14 councillors in the 35-member Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh.
BJP’s Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher, as an ex-officio member, also has voting rights in the polls.
The Kejriwal-led party has 13 councillors while Congress has seven and the Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor.
WHY MAYORAL POLLS WERE DELAYED?
The mayoral election was initially scheduled to be held on January 18 but was deferred to February 6 by the Chandigarh administration after the presiding officer fell ill.
At the time, the authorities had also said the polls were postponed after their assessment of the law-and-order situation.
The postponement of the elections sparked outrage from Congress and AAP councillors.
The AAP’s candidate for the mayor’s post, Kuldeep Kumar, challenged the Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner’s order to defer the polls in the High Court.
The High Court, in its order on January 24, directed the Chandigarh administration to hold the mayoral elections on January 30 at 10 am.
Quashing the administration’s January 18 order of deferring the elections, the court said that it was “unreasonable, unjustified and arbitrary”.
The high court also directed councillors to not be accompanied by any supporters or security personnel belonging to another state when they go to cast their votes.
The Chandigarh Police will ensure security to the councillors, the court had said.
WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?
The mayoral elections are done through secret ballot. For the 2024 election, third of the term, the mayor’s post has been reserved for the Scheduled Caste category.
BJP has fielded Manoj Sonkar for the mayoral post against AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar. And for the senior deputy mayor post, BJP’s Kuljeet Sandhu will be contesting against Congress’ Gurpreet Singh Gabi.
For the post of deputy mayor, BJP’s Rajinder Sharma will take on Congress’ Nirmala Devi.
Elections for these three posts are held every year during the House’s five-year term. The Congress had abstained from voting in 2022 and 2023, leading to the BJP’s victory in the polls.
(With PTI inputs)
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