High Court postpones Chandigarh Mayoral Elections, reschedules for after January 29

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has postponed the mayoral elections for Chandigarh that were originally scheduled for January 24, 2025. The court quashed the Chandigarh administration’s notification from January 7, which called for the elections to be held on that date. The new elections will now be held after January 29, 2025.

The petition for postponing the election was filed by Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor, the current AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) mayor. His legal team argued that his tenure should extend until February 20, 2025, as he assumed office on February 20, 2024. The High Court accepted this argument, saying the elections should be held after January 29.

Issues around the election process

The court’s ruling also addressed concerns about the election process itself. Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor and his team asked for the administration to reconsider using a show of hands for voting. This request came after issues in the 2024 mayoral elections, where the presiding officer, Anil Masih, was seen tampering with ballots. The previous election was nullified by the Supreme Court, leading to Dhalor's election as the first non-Congress, non-BJP mayor of the city.

The court also directed the administration to ensure that the upcoming election process is properly documented, including through video recording, to avoid any further controversies. The detailed order of the court’s ruling is still awaited, but the new election date will be decided once the Chandigarh administration issues a fresh notification.

The postponement of the elections has led to confusion among political parties. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress candidates filed their nominations on January 21, which was the last day for filing under the now-invalid January 7 notification.

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The BJP has nominated Harpreet Kaur Babla for the mayoral post, Bimala Dubey for senior deputy mayor, and Lakhbir Singh Billu for deputy mayor. Congress, in alliance with AAP, nominated Jasbir Singh Bunty for senior deputy mayor and Taruna Mehta for deputy mayor. However, AAP, which has not yet announced its mayoral candidate, chose not to file nominations at this stage.

Since the election notification has been cancelled, both BJP and Congress will now have to file fresh nominations once the new election date is set. AAP, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with the High Court’s decision. AAP leader Dr. Sunny Ahluwalia stated that the party appreciated the court's respect for the people's mandate and hoped that justice would prevail.

AAP and Congress lead the Coalition

With the AAP-Congress alliance holding a majority in the Municipal Corporation (MC), their candidates are expected to secure key positions. AAP holds 13 votes, while Congress holds 7. Additionally, there is one ex-officio vote from MP Manish Tewari, giving the alliance a total of 21 votes in the 35-member MC. This majority puts them in a strong position to win the upcoming mayoral election, with both parties sharing power in key positions.

The BJP, with only 15 votes, will need to gain at least 19 votes to win. They are hoping for cross-voting or defections to swing the election in their favor. However, given the current strength of the AAP-Congress alliance, the BJP faces an uphill battle.

The deputy commissioner of Chandigarh, Nishant Yadav, said that after reviewing the High Court’s order, he would issue a new notification for the election date, likely by Tuesday, following a fresh round of discussions.