CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh mayoral polls, slated to be held on Thursday, were abruptly deferred to February 6 after the presiding officer fell sick, triggering protests from Congress and AAP councillors. The Congress and the AAP, which have joined hands for the mayoral polls, slammed the BJP, accusing it of not allowing to hold the elections in the wake of its “imminent defeat”.
The AAP later moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court which issued notices to the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation for their replies while not granting any immediate relief.
The Chandigarh deputy commissioner, who is the authority for holding the mayoral polls, in his fresh order stated that the polls will be held on February 6.
This decision follows a thorough assessment of the law and order situation by the senior superintendent of police, the UT of Chandigarh said in an official statement.
The order also mentioned about the ill-health of presiding authority Anil Masih who has been hospitalised.
The development pertaining to the deferring of the elections for the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor came just ahead of the polling which was to take place at 11 am in the assembly hall of the municipal corporation (MC).
Several councillors received a message from the municipal authorities saying, “It is informed that a telephonic message has been received regarding the ill health of Anil Masih, who has been nominated as presiding authority for the meeting scheduled on January 18 for the post of Mayor u/60 (a) read with Regulation 6 (1) of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (Procedure and Conduct of Business) Regulation, 1996. In view of the above, it is requested not to reach the MC office till further orders are received.”
A letter from the joint commissioner of the Chandigarh MC to duty magistrates, while referring to the ill-health of Masih, also stated that it is requested to restrict entry in the view of the law and order situation till further orders are received.
The development triggered protests by the Congress and AAP councillors who were fighting the polls in an alliance under the INDIA bloc.
Earlier, senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal also claimed that they have been informed that elections will not take place on Thursday as the presiding officer has fallen sick.
“If that was the case and the presiding officer had really fallen sick, then they should have nominated another one as the presiding officer,” Bansal said.
“It is unprecedented. Such a thing has never happened,” he said.
The mayoral polls this time assumed significance as the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party — both INDIA bloc members — joined hands to contest the elections to oust the BJP from the chair of mayor which it has been winning for the last eight years.
AAP leader Raghav Chadha had earlier said that the INDIA bloc will sweep the Chandigarh mayoral polls and the victory will be the curtain raiser for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Under the Congress-AAP alliance, the AAP will fight for the mayor’s seat while the Congress will contest the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
In the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the BJP has 14 councillors. It also has an ex-officio member MP (Kirron Kher) who has voting rights.
The AAP has 13 councillors and the Congress seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor in the House.
Rajya Sabha member and senior AAP leader Sandeep Pathak, on his X, 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.”
He alleged that the BJP was trying hard to postpone the mayoral elections by “misusing” the government apparatus.
AAP leader Chadha also raised a question over the sudden ill-health of the presiding officer and hit out at the BJP while equating it with a child who takes his bat home after he gets out in a gully cricket and does not allow the cricket match to take place.
“Today, they made the presiding officer fall sick and it seems that the whole BJP has developed ill health after seeing the INDIA bloc,” he said.
The AAP later moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court which issued notices to the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation for their replies while not granting any immediate relief.
The Chandigarh deputy commissioner, who is the authority for holding the mayoral polls, in his fresh order stated that the polls will be held on February 6.
This decision follows a thorough assessment of the law and order situation by the senior superintendent of police, the UT of Chandigarh said in an official statement.
The order also mentioned about the ill-health of presiding authority Anil Masih who has been hospitalised.
The development pertaining to the deferring of the elections for the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor came just ahead of the polling which was to take place at 11 am in the assembly hall of the municipal corporation (MC).
Several councillors received a message from the municipal authorities saying, “It is informed that a telephonic message has been received regarding the ill health of Anil Masih, who has been nominated as presiding authority for the meeting scheduled on January 18 for the post of Mayor u/60 (a) read with Regulation 6 (1) of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (Procedure and Conduct of Business) Regulation, 1996. In view of the above, it is requested not to reach the MC office till further orders are received.”
A letter from the joint commissioner of the Chandigarh MC to duty magistrates, while referring to the ill-health of Masih, also stated that it is requested to restrict entry in the view of the law and order situation till further orders are received.
The development triggered protests by the Congress and AAP councillors who were fighting the polls in an alliance under the INDIA bloc.
Earlier, senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal also claimed that they have been informed that elections will not take place on Thursday as the presiding officer has fallen sick.
“If that was the case and the presiding officer had really fallen sick, then they should have nominated another one as the presiding officer,” Bansal said.
“It is unprecedented. Such a thing has never happened,” he said.
The mayoral polls this time assumed significance as the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party — both INDIA bloc members — joined hands to contest the elections to oust the BJP from the chair of mayor which it has been winning for the last eight years.
AAP leader Raghav Chadha had earlier said that the INDIA bloc will sweep the Chandigarh mayoral polls and the victory will be the curtain raiser for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Under the Congress-AAP alliance, the AAP will fight for the mayor’s seat while the Congress will contest the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
In the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the BJP has 14 councillors. It also has an ex-officio member MP (Kirron Kher) who has voting rights.
The AAP has 13 councillors and the Congress seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor in the House.
Rajya Sabha member and senior AAP leader Sandeep Pathak, on his X, 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.”
He alleged that the BJP was trying hard to postpone the mayoral elections by “misusing” the government apparatus.
AAP leader Chadha also raised a question over the sudden ill-health of the presiding officer and hit out at the BJP while equating it with a child who takes his bat home after he gets out in a gully cricket and does not allow the cricket match to take place.
“Today, they made the presiding officer fall sick and it seems that the whole BJP has developed ill health after seeing the INDIA bloc,” he said.