BJP wins senior deputy mayor poll in Chandigarh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in the senior deputy mayor poll in Chandigarh on Monday, with Kuljeet Sandhu securing the position. The BJP garnered 19 votes, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received 16 votes, and one vote was declared invalid.

The outcome for the deputy mayor post is still pending. The election for the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation commenced at 10 am today. Prior to the counting, there was a disturbance as the mayor summoned an AAP councillor, which led to objections from the BJP councillors. In order to win the poll in the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation House, a party requires 19 votes.

The BJP consists of 14 councillors, three of whom have defected from AAP, one ex-officio vote of BJP MP Kirron Kher, and the support of the sole Akali Dal councillor. Conversely, AAP possesses 10 councillors, and the Congress holds seven votes.

After the orders of the High Court, the election is being conducted under the chairmanship of mayor Kuldeep Kumar. Earlier, these elections were supposed to be held on February 27, but due to the non-arrival of Presiding Officer Mayor Kuldeep Kumar and the hearing of a petition filed by Congress councillors in the High Court, the elections were postponed.

AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar has recently taken on the role of mayor for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. His appointment comes a week after the Supreme Court ruled him as the civic body chief. The court's decision on February 20 overturned the results of the mayoral election, which initially saw the BJP candidate as the victor.

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