Chandigarh - Congress, AAP Up In Arms Against “Rigged”' Mayor Poll

Chandigarh which is said to be India’s most modern city is now in the news over allegations of a ‘rigged’ mayoral poll. Chandigarh, the capital of both Punjab and Haryana, takes pride in being referred to as the ‘City Beautiful,’ but is now at the centre of political accusations, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. High drama ensued during elections to the posts of the city Mayor and two Deputy Mayors on Tuesday.

The matter will be contested in the Punjab and Haryana High Court as the alliance of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress accused presiding officer Anil Masih of helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win the elections by rigging.

Masih is reportedly a nominated member of the House, and also a former general secretary of the BJP’s minority wing. He has denied these allegations, even as videos are being circulated accusing him of tampering with the ballot papers to declare eight votes invalid.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation within three weeks. The plea was filed by the AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar alleging that vote tampering led to the BJP candidate’s victory. However, the plea has reportedly been denied any interim relief.

The Congress and the AAP are calling for the cancellation of these polls, and holding fresh elections under the supervision of a retired High Court judge. News agencies have quoted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying that the AAP and Congress will approach the Supreme Court on the matter seeking an early hearing.

Meanwhile, the Congress and AAP leaders along with their supporters hit the streets of the city, for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, to air their resentment over what they alleged is the BJP’s ‘hijacking’ of the poll. Even the non-partisan locals are stunned by the events and have been questioning the BJP’s ‘desperation’.

Apart from the larger question of following democratic procedures with sincerity, these polls assume significance politically. They come just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held in a couple of months.

These polls were the first test of the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) where the AAP and the Congress were jointly contesting, despite continuing to be at loggerheads in neighbouring Punjab. In Punjab these parties are refusing to come together for the parliamentary polls.

The municipal corporation house has a strength of 35 elected members. The BJP has 14 councillors, AAP has 13, Congress has seven and Shiromani Akali Dal has one. The BJP Lok Sabha member of the city Kirron Kher also has voting rights as an ex-officio member.

Manoj Sonkar of the BJP was declared the winner, over the AAP nominee Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor. He secured the party votes along with that of SAD, and Kher, while eight votes of the AAP-Congress alliance were declared invalid.

It was reportedly for the first time that the local media was not allowed inside the House during the polling and the counting of votes. The media persons were asked to follow the electronic streaming of the process from the conference hall.

After the result to the Mayor’s post was announced, AAP and Congress members allegedly snatched the ballot papers and tried to take them outside. They were reportedly stopped by the marshals. Thereafter, the two parties refrained from voting for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayor.

Observers say that this election had been preceded by “a drama” which raised suspicion on the conduct of the polls in a fair manner. The polls to the said three posts were initially to be held on January 18 but were postponed to February 6 by the administration after Masih had reported sick.

This had triggered protests by the Congress and the AAP, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the holding of polls on January 30.

The elections to these three posts are held annually during the five year term of the house. The Congress had abstained from voting during the last two years and resulted in the BJP capturing the posts. The SAD candidate too had boycotted the previous two elections to these posts.

On Wednesday, leaders of the AAP and Congress demanded that Chandigarh Police register a case against Masih. The AAP’s Chandigarh co-incharge Dr Sunny Ahluwalia accused the BJP of being “the biggest threat to Indian democracy”. He accused the saffron party of “managing all the officials related to the mayoral election”.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had stated on Tuesday that January 30 will be remembered as the “darkest day” in the annals of Indian polity and that “the BJP-led Union government has murdered democracy during the election for post of the mayor in Chandigarh”.

Mann said that unfortunately it is the month when Republic Day is celebrated that “the BJP chose to undermine the Constitution of the country”. Mann added that this was “BJP’s chronic habit as they had earlier toppled democratically elected governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and other states”.

The CM asked “if the counting of 36 votes can’t be conducted in a free and fair manner then how will the polls and counting of votes for the entire country take place impartially?” He added that “these leaders will loot the ballot papers from the voters for their vested interests” and alleged “that EVM machines have already been found in their homes”.

Mann demanded that the presiding officer be “booked under Sedition for deceiving the constitution of the country and said the latter had deliberately counted the votes in the absence of polling agents just to ensure the win of the BJP candidate”.

Mann added that the worry was not that the “BJP had hijacked the democratic process in Chandigarh” but the real problem is that they would “divest the people of their democratic rights in ensuing Lok Sabha polls too”.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also attacked the BJP allegeding that, “The blatant manipulation and fraud that took place today in the name of Chandigarh mayoral elections has once again made it clear that the BJP is hell bent on murdering our democracy. In a desperate attempt to salvage the party from enduring a huge defeat in Chandigarh, the presiding officer working on the behest of the BJP manipulated the votes in broad daylight.

“Whatever happened today in Chandigarh just goes on to show how the BJP is ready to use any means to simply win an election. The party isn't concerned with following any democratic or electoral process and just wants to enforce dictatorship in the entire country.

“They are very comfortable with using muscle power, agencies, money, pressure tactics, using the officers and what not, just to achieve their goal of maintaining power.”

Warring further pointed out, “Today's shameful incident isn't just concerning the political class, instead it should be concerning every parent, every student, every citizen of this democratic country. We need to ask ourselves if we want such a future for our kids.

“Do we want a dictatorship? If the answer is no then it's the time to fight back now against the very powers that are out to destroy our freedom and our democracy.

“It is time that we show the BJP that our country is built on democratic values and we won't tolerate anyone that tries to stifle our democracy and our constitution. Let us all fight against this hatred filled politics before it's too late.”

The BJP’s national president while congratulating the winning trio of Sonkar, Kuljit Singh and Rajinder Sharma stated in a tweet, “That the INDI Alliance fought their first electoral battle and still lost to BJP shows that neither their arithmetic is working nor their chemistry.”

https://x.com/JPNadda/status/1752241512560341137?s=20

Meanwhile, Hamir Singh, a senior political observer from Chandigarh, told The Citizen that, “The manner in which things have unfolded suggest that the BJP did not want a victory of the I.N.D.I.A. candidate. The eight voters whose votes were declared invalid are not novices but seasoned politicians. Had there been any other arrangement among the councillors in place to ensure a BJP victory, it would have definitely come to light.”

The local BJP leaders have reportedly claimed that it was the “Congress councillors who deliberately cast invalid votes as they did not want an AAP candidate to win”.