Chandigarh Mayoral Poll Case Is A 'Lesson For BJP' But AAP's Joy May Be Short-Lived

The Supreme Court's decision to announce the joint candidate of AAP-Congress as the winner of Chandigarh municipal corporation is a lesson for the BJP feels the opposition parties. By delivering the verdict in favour of the opposition and exposing the malpractice done by Returning Officer Anil Masih, the SC sent a clear message that playing with the democratic process will not bode well for any party. 

"In Chandigarh, their (BJP) official rigged the votes to make a person, who was winning the election with a huge margin, lose the poll and the one, who was losing the election, win. The same thing happened in Pakistan too," said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi assembly.

BJP Mayor Manoj Sonkar had already resigned ahead of the hearing. The SC noted that the Returning Officer had deliberately defaced eight ballots that were cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar to make them invalid. The apex court physically examined the ballot papers and found that they were valid. It directed that Kuldeep Kumar be declared as mayor with 20 votes against 16 votes of Sonkar.

Why AAP's Joy May Be Shortlived?

The Supreme Court has already said that no fresh polls would be held and yesterday declared Kuldeep Kumar the winner. However, ahead of the crucial verdict, three AAP councillors - Gurcharanjit Singh Kala, Neha and Poonum Devi - had joined the BJP. 

In the house of 35 members, the BJP has a total of 15 votes in the Municipal Corporation House including 14 councillors and ex officio members i.e. an MP - Kiron Kher. The AAP had 13 councillors, while the Congress has seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor in the House. The AAP and Congress together had 20 votes but since three of the AAP leaders shifted to the BJP, the Congress-AAP combined tally reduced to 17 while the BJP's tally rose to 17. If MP Kiron Kher and SAD councillor's votes are taken together, then the BJP will have the support of 19 members, two more than the AAP-Congress alliance. 

Now, if the BJP decides to bring in a no-trust motion against Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, then he will have to prove a majority in the house. If the number equations remain the same, then Kumar is likely to be ousted in the trust vote. However, it's not yet clear whether the BJP will bring in a no-trust vote or not.