The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is all set to hold the mayoral elections today, following a postponement on January 18 due to the ill health of presiding officer Anil Masih.
The crucial polls will be witnessing heightened security measures as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) goes head-to-head with an alliance formed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress.
Approximately 800 police personnel, in addition to paramilitary forces, have been deployed for the elections. A three-layer barricade will encircle the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation premises to maintain order.
The police have received strict instructions to prevent any disturbance or untoward incidents during or after the election process.
This year's mayoral seat, reserved for the Scheduled Caste category, is contested by Manoj Sonkar from the BJP and Kuldeep Kumar Tita from the AAP. The senior deputy mayor position sees competition between BJP's Kuljeet Sandhu and Congress's Gurpreet Singh Gabi, while the BJP's Rajinder Sharma faces off against Congress's Nirmala Devi for the deputy mayor post.
The political significance of these elections is underscored by the joint effort of the Congress and AAP to oust the BJP, which has held the mayoral chair for the past eight years.
The alliance strategy involves the AAP contesting for the mayor's post, while the Congress fields candidates for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor positions.
With councillors casting their votes through secret ballots, the possibility of cross-voting remains. In previous years, the Congress abstained from voting, leading to BJP's victories in the mayoral polls of 2022 and 2023.
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation comprises 35 members, where the BJP holds 14 seats, AAP has 13, Congress commands seven, and the Shiromani Akali Dal represents one councillor. Additionally, MP Kirron Kher, affiliated with the BJP, serves as an ex-officio member with voting rights.
The mayoral polls, initially scheduled for January 18, faced a postponement to February 6 due to Anil Masih's illness, sparking protests from Congress and AAP councillors. AAP's mayoral candidate, Kuldeep Kumar, challenged the decision in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The court, in its January 24 order, overturned the postponement, directing the administration to conduct the mayoral polls at 10 am on January 30, deeming the earlier delay "unreasonable, unjustified, and arbitrary."
The court further mandated that councillors casting votes should not be accompanied by supporters or security personnel from other states.
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