Drama In Chandigarh Ahead Of SC Hearing
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2024-02-19 03:18:39
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
The Supreme Court is to resume hearing in the Chandigarh mayoral poll fiasco today. But there was lot of drama ahead of the hearings. BJPs Manoj Sonkar, who was elected mayor after returning officer Anil Masih declared eight opposition votes invalid, resigned from the post. The BJP also claimed that three AAP councillors had changed sides and have joined the party.
Sonkar's resignation is a sign that the BJP knows that the Supreme Court will set aside the election due to wrongdoing on Masih's part. This was amply clear when the top court had made stinging observations in the first hearing and demanded the entire record of the elections proceedings, including papers and video recordings. The Supreme Court had then said that it was 'appalled' at what was done and it was 'murder of democracy'.
With AAP and Congress joining hands for the mayoral elections in Chandigarh and having the numbers (20 against BJPs 16), the election was touted as the first real and meaningful fight between the I.N.D.I.A alliance and the NDA. It was clear that the AAP-Congress candidate would have won easily. But the shameful and disgusting manner in which the polls were conducted, without the fear of judicial scrutiny, shocked the nation. The BJP wanted to win at any cost and hence resorted to underhand tactics.
But when the Supreme Court took a stern stand, the BJP knew its game was up. The records will give proof of how BJP dubiously snatched victory. That is why Sonkar has resigned, necessitating fresh elections. The court would have, in any case, ordered a re-election. The BJP is trying to save face by making Sonkar resign.
Further, the BJP has also engineered a split in AAP and claims that three AAP councillors - Neha, Poonam and Gurcharanjeet Singh (he had switched to the Congress from the BJP just a couple of months back) - have joined the party. If the claims are true, BJP will gain if a re-election in held as it will now have 18 councillors and the vote of the Chandigarh MP, BJPs Kirron Kher.
