The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a victory in the Chandigarh mayoral elections, winning with 19 votes against the 17 votes of the AAP-Congress alliance. BJP candidate Harpreet Kaur Babla defeated Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Prem Lata in a closely contested election.
The election, held in the assembly hall of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, was a significant political battle between the BJP and the AAP-Congress alliance. Polling commenced at 11:20 am and concluded at 12:19 pm.
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation comprises 35 members, including elected councillors and the Chandigarh Member of Parliament (MP), who has voting rights as an ex-officio member. Before the election, the seat distribution stood at AAP with 13 councillors, Congress with 6, BJP with 16, and 1 vote belonging to the Chandigarh MP (Congress).
Ahead of the polls, Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat shifted allegiance to the BJP, increasing the party’s tally to 16. This defection played a crucial role in the final outcome.
The election was conducted through a secret ballot, with nominated councillor Ramneek Singh Bedi serving as the presiding officer. Additionally, retired Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Jaishree Thakur was appointed as an independent observer by the Supreme Court to oversee the election process.
