CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh mayoral polls, which were scheduled for Thursday, have been deferred till further orders after the presiding officer reportedly “fell sick”. Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh issued an order stating that the mayor elections in the city, which was to be held on January 18, will now take place on February 6.
“In pursuance to the report received from the senior superintendent of police regarding security and law and order situation due to scheduled elections of Mayor and deputy mayor and report of medical superintendent with regard to hospitalisation of appointed nominated presiding authority Anil Masih due to ill health, the order is issued,” it read.
Alleging foul play, AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar – a candidate for the seat – challenged the decision in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A division bench of Justices Sudhir Singh and Harsh Bunger refused to grant any immediate relief and listed the next hearing for January 23.
The counsel for the Chandigarh administration informed the court that February 6 has been fixed as the next date for the mayoral polls after assessing the prevailing law and order situation. Senior Congress leader and former minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that the BJP disallowed the polls as it feared defeat.
“The ‘Operation Lotus’ has failed in Chandigarh. BJP is sensing their defeat. They lost morally when they did not even turn up to cast vote.
This shows that the BJP cannot accept their defeat,” said Chandigarh Congress President H S Lucky.
AAP Chandigarh in charge Jarnail Singh said that the BJP wants to cancel this election after the alliance of the AAP and Congress. MP Raghav Chadha also criticised the BJP for “undemocratic meddling” and said that the BJP is gripped by ‘democracy-phobia’.