Chandigarh MC mayoral polls postponed till further notice; AAP, Congress cry foul

The mayoral elections in Chandigarh were postponed due to the ill health of the presiding officer.

The Mayoral elections for Chandigarh Municipal Corporation that were slated for January 18 were postponed till further notice on Thursday.

The postponement of the polls has been attributed to the ill health of the presiding officer for the elections. Ahead of the elections for the post of mayor, senior deputy mayor, and deputy mayor, many councilors received the message urging them not to reach the Municipal Corporation till further orders are received as Mr. Anil Masih, who was nominated as presiding authority for the meeting scheduled on January 18 has fallen ill.

A letter from the joint commissioner of Chandiharh Municipal Commissioner surrounding the conduct of elections said “It is informed that undersigned has telephonically received intimation regarding the ill health of Anil Masih who has been nominated as Presiding authority for the meeting scheduled 18.1.2024 for the post of Mayor U/60 ad with Regulation 6(1) of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (Procedure Conduct of Business Regulation) 1996. It is requested to restrict the entry in view of the law and order situ further orders are received.”

Crying foul, the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress councillors staged a protest against the Bharatiya Janta Party, alleging it of resorting to delaying tactics for the elections.

AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak said, “Staring at its inevitable defeat the BJP has started its dirty tricks machinery in Chandigarh. If this is the kind of election system we have in the country then it’s highly discouraging. The BJP is trying hard to postpone the mayor election in Chandigarh by misusing the government apparatus. We will not let them succeed.”

The Congress and the AAP, both INDIA bloc partners had joined hands against the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to contest the mayoral elections for Chandigarh MC. As per the alliance, the Congress contested the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor while the APP fought for the mayor’s post. This year, the mayor’s seat was reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.

In the Chandigarh MC, there are 35 councillors while the Member of Parliament from Chandigarh (of the BJP) is an ex-officio member of the municipal corporation, and also has a voting right. The BJP has 14 councillors. The AAP has 13 councillors while the Congress has seven councillors. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one member in the House.