Legal Battle Over Chandigarh Mayor Election: AAP and Congress Victory Faces Uphill Battle Against BJP Dominance

The political landscape in Chandigarh underwent a significant shift as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress alliance, declaring the AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the legitimate Mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. This decision comes after the initial election results were invalidated by the Supreme Court due to discrepancies in the voting process.

Following the court’s decision, the BJP managed to sway three AAP councillors to its side, creating a deadlock in the general house of the civic body. With both the BJP and AAP-Congress alliance holding 17 councillors each, along with the BJP’s MP Kirron Kher and the sole Akali Dal councillor, the dynamics of the corporation remain heavily contested.

One immediate challenge for Mayor Kuldeep Kumar is the looming non-confidence motion in the House, where the numbers are currently against him. Additionally, questions have been raised about the legality of the election of BJP councillors Kuljeet Sandhu and Rajinder Sharma as Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively.

The BJP’s confidence in voting out Mayor Kuldeep Kumar stems from their simple majority in the house and the fragility of the AAP-Congress alliance, especially in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections where seat-sharing pressures could exacerbate tensions within the alliance.

Moreover, the BJP anticipates that Mayor Kuldeep Kumar may face constraints due to the impending code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls, limiting his powers as Mayor and potentially leaving him ineffective in executing his duties.

Even without a formal no-confidence motion, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar is likely to struggle in a house where the BJP holds the majority, including nine nominated councillors aligned with the BJP. This imbalance could make decision-making challenging for the Mayor.