The political landscape in Chandigarh underwent a dramatic shift as Manoj Sonkar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in the mayoral elections, defeating Kuldeep Kumar from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The election marked the first significant clash between the newly formed Opposition coalition, comprising the Congress and AAP, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s unexpected switch to the latter.
Mr. Sonkar secured 16 votes against Mr. Kumar’s 12, with eight votes declared invalid, sparking protests from AAP and Congress councillors. The BJP, with 14 councillors, managed to outpace the AAP’s 13 and the Congress’s seven. The outcome was not without controversy, leading to accusations of cheating and dissatisfaction with the electoral process.
As the results were announced, AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal voiced his concerns, accusing the BJP of cheating. He expressed worry about the implications for national elections, stating, “If these people can stoop to this level in a mayoral poll, they can go to any extent in the national elections.”
The AAP-Congress alliance strategically nominated candidates for various positions, with Mr. Kumar contesting for the mayoral post. The senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor positions saw fierce contests between BJP and Congress candidates.
BJP leader Pralhad Joshi, in response to the defeat of the Opposition coalition, declared, “The Opposition’s INDIA bloc is brain dead.” The AAP, despite having enough numbers in the council, labeled the BJP victory as “a broad daylight robbery” and accused the ruling party of treason.
BJP chief JP Nadda dismissed the Opposition’s allegations, stating that the victory highlighted the failure of the INDIA bloc’s arithmetic and chemistry. Punjab BJP leader Jaiveer Shergill dubbed the AAP-Congress alliance as a “thugbandhan” (an alliance of thugs), emphasizing the BJP’s win as a triumph of democracy over corruption.
Manoj Sonkar, the victorious BJP candidate, responded to Kejriwal’s accusations, stating that levelling allegations is the alliance’s main job. He emphasized that everything was on camera and challenged the Opposition’s ability to govern, saying, “When they can’t run a small city, how can they run a state?”
As tensions escalated, AAP leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj and Raghav Chadha, called the victory illegal, unconstitutional, and an act of treason. Chadha claimed that the BJP employed illegal tactics to secure the win, pointing to the invalidation of eight votes and questioning the fairness of the electoral process.
In a surprising turn of events, BJP candidate Rajinder Kumar was later elected as the deputy mayor after AAP and Congress councillors refused to cast their votes. The Aam Aadmi Party has now taken the matter to the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking a review of the election results.
The controversy surrounding the Chandigarh mayoral elections raises questions about the integrity of the electoral process and the dynamics between political alliances, setting the stage for further legal battles and political maneuvering.