Chandigarh gets first AAP mayor as Supreme Court verdict turns the tables

TheAam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday got a shot in the arm with the Supreme Court (SC) declaring party candidate Kuldeep Dhalor the winner of the municipal corporation’s mayoral polls, months ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost power in MC after eight years and AAP has been able to install its mayor for the first time even as it had highest number of councillors in 2021 civic body polls. The victory though comes with much bigger challenges for Dhalor in particular as BJP has a majority in the House.

Three AAP councillors had on Sunday switched to the BJP, boosting the party’s number from 14 to 17. AAP is left with 10 councillors, while Congress has seven and Shiromani Akali Dal one, an ally of BJP.

AAP and Congress had contested the mayoral polls jointly. The alliance bagged 20 votes but eight of them were declared invalid by presiding officer Anil Masih, who declared BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar the winner.

The apex court, however, ordered a fresh recount after noting that Masih defacing the eight ballot papers in question was “obvious”, handing the win to Dhalor.

Dhalor will have to tread cautiously throughout his one-year- tenure. According to Chapter-II, proviso 39 of The Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976 (as extended to the Union Territory of Chandigarh), a councillor holding office as mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor may be removed from office by a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of corporation present and voting in a meeting in the prescribed manner.

Resultantly, his removal would require 24 councillors to vote against him and the BJP, even with the added votes of SAD and MP Kirron Kher, an ex-officio member, does not have the numbers.

BJP, however, is unlikely to make the ride easy for the mayor, who will now be looking to shift focus on fulfilling the promises made by AAP — which include mohalla clinics in each sector, 24×7 water supply among others — ahead of the December 2021 civic body elections.

A local leader said getting MC proposals passed in the House will be a daunting task for Dhalor.

The fact that BJP finds considerable support from the nine nominated councillors will further bolster their presence in the House, even in matters not needing a vote.

Dhalor, however, maintained that he would do everything in his power to ensure development of the city,