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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) celebrated a victory after the Supreme Court announced its verdict on the Chandigarh mayoral elections. The court declared Kuldeep Kumar, the AAP candidate, as the winner of the polls, overturning the previous declaration that had named BJP's Manoj Sonkar as the winner.

Applause from AAP Leaders

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for upholding democracy amidst challenging times. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal hailed the verdict as a blow to those engaging in electoral malpractice, while Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the BJP-led central government for its alleged involvement in the election.

The Congress party, which contested the mayoral elections in alliance with AAP, also welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, labeling it as "historic." Chandigarh Congress chief Harmohinder Singh Lucky emphasized the significance of justice prevailing and acknowledged the irregularities in the election process.

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The Supreme Court's ruling focused on rectifying the discrepancies in the vote counting process, particularly addressing the invalidation of eight votes cast in Kumar's favor. The court directed that these votes be considered valid, resulting in Kumar's victory with a total of 20 votes. Furthermore, the court ordered the prosecution of the returning officer, Anil Masih, for his involvement in tampering with the ballots, citing serious misconduct.

Background of the election

The controversy surrounding the Chandigarh mayoral polls arose when BJP's Manoj Sonkar was declared the winner on January 30, defeating AAP's Kuldeep Kumar. Allegations of ballot tampering surfaced after the returning officer invalidated eight votes from the AAP-Congress coalition. Subsequently, Sonkar resigned from the mayor's post.

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In conclusion, the Supreme Court's intervention in the Chandigarh mayoral election addressed concerns of electoral malpractice and ensured justice by declaring the rightful winner based on valid votes cast.