The voting to elect the mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation will be held on Tuesday amid heavy police deployment. The voting, which was once deferred, will begin on Tuesday at 10 am following directions from Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The elections are considered high stakes as the BJP will take on the opposition INDIA bloc, in the first clash between the NDA and the INDIA bloc before the general elections. The Congress and the AAP are fighting the elections together against the BJP, which has held the mayor's post for the past eight years.
Kuldeep Kumar, representing the AAP, is contesting for the mayoral post, while the Congress is fielding candidates for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
The elections were originally scheduled for January 18 but were deferred citing the illness of the presiding officer Anil Masih. However, the Congress and AAP alleged that the BJP was stopping the elections from happening, fearing defeat. The Congress and AAP held a demonstration and AAP approached the courts against the move.
Following the move, the Punjab & Haryana High Court directed the Chandigarh Administration to conduct the elections on January 30, with directions to Chandigarh police to ensure that "no ruckus takes place."
Interestingly, Anil Masih, whose apparent illness had led to the deferment of elections, was appointed the presiding authority for the mayoral election again.
The high court had also directed that the councillors who come to cast their votes shall not be accompanied by any supporters or security personnel belonging to any other state.
#WATCH | Heavy security deployed in Chandigarh in view of the mayor election. pic.twitter.com/RTjJXb4jcB
— ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024
Considering the law and order situation, a heavy police deployment is being put in place. About 800 police personnel, along with those from the paramilitary force, will be deployed during the poll process. There will also be a three-layer barricade around the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
The BJP has 14 councillors in the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. Its Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher also has voting rights as an ex-officio member.
The AAP has 13 councillors and the Congress seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor.
The Congress abstained from voting in 2022 and 2023, resulting in the BJP's victory in those polls. The election process for the mayor's position is conducted through a secret ballot.
