In the 2024 Chandigarh Senior Deputy Mayor Election, the AAP-Congress alliance faced a significant setback as the BJP candidate emerged victorious. Kuljeet Sandhu of the BJP secured 19 votes, defeating Gurpreet Gabi of the ‘India’ alliance who received 16 votes. Additionally, one vote was deemed invalid.
In the Deputy Mayor election, BJP’s Rajinder Sharma garnered 19 votes, surpassing Nirmala Devi of the Indian Alliance who received 17 votes. The voting process saw the participation of Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher.
The decision was overturned by the Supreme Court.
The mayoral election held on January 30 witnessed the victory of the BJP candidate, who triumphed over the AAP-Congress alliance candidate. Subsequently, the alliance lodged allegations of irregularities against the Returning Officer, Anil Masih.
Masih invalidated eight votes belonging to the coalition partners, prompting the AAP candidate to seek recourse from the Supreme Court. On February 20, the Supreme Court overturned the previous results and proclaimed the AAP’s candidate as the rightful winner.
What are the equations?
In the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation House, the BJP holds 14 councillors, with an additional vote from MP and ex-officio member Kirron Kher.
AAP has 13 councillors, while Congress has 7. There is also a councilor from Shiromani Akali Dal who supports the BJP. If three councilors from Aam Aadmi Party switch sides, BJP will have 19 votes, including the support from Shiromani Akali Dal.
It is worth mentioning that Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have joined forces for the upcoming Chandigarh Lok Sabha elections, with Congress fielding a candidate. Kirron Kher of BJP currently serves as the MP.