Government News

AAP slams BJP for ‘cheating’ to win Chandigarh mayoral polls

By - 30 Jan 2024 10:00 PM

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday alleged that “cheating has been done in broad daylight” in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, and called it “extremely worrying”. He slammed the BJP over its candidate’s victory in a post on X in Hindi, and said “those who did it can go to any extent in the national elections”. “The way cheating has been done in broad daylight in the Chandigarh mayoral polls is extremely worrying. If they can stoop so low in mayoral elections, they can go to any extent in the national elections. This is extremely worrying,” said Kejriwal.BJP’s Manoj Sonkar was declared the Mayor of Chandigarh on Tuesday after he won the mayoral polls with 16 votes against the 12 votes bagged by the Congress-AAP candidate Kuldeep Tita. Eight votes were declared invalid, which led Opposition leaders to raise allegations of rigging. Ruckus followed after Sonkar took the mayor’s seat. As protests broke out against the presiding authority, Anil Masih, marshals were called in to control the situation.Opposition councilors alleged there was tampering with the ballot papers at the elections, a charge rubbished by the BJP.

Voicing the same concerns, Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann said that it was a “Black Day for India’s democracy.” “Today will be written and remembered as a ‘black day’ in the democracy of our country. Unfortunately, this is the same month when we celebrate Republic Day. Today, the Constitution has been shredded. The manner in which the Chandigarh mayor election was ‘looted’ by the BJP before the media, in front of the cameras… They did this in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and northeastern states before this. So, this is their old habit…” Mann was quoted as saying by ANI.Stating that it was for the first time in the Chandigarh mayoral elections that eight out of the 36 votes were declared invalid, AAP MP Raghav Chadha alleged that “this shows that if the BJP can use all illegal tactics for a mayoral election, what would they do during the Lok Sabha elections”.He also questioned if the “BJP wanted to turn India into North Korea”. “For the first time in the Chandigarh mayoral elections, eight out of the 36 votes were declared invalid. Congress & AAP alliance had to get 20 votes. We got 12 votes & 8 were declared invalid. Not a single vote of the BJP was declared invalid…,” he was quoted as saying. “…This shows that BJP for a mayor election can use all illegal tactics. What would they do during the Lok Sabha elections seeing their loss.