Chandigarh Mayor Polls: 1st BJP Vs I.N.D.I.A Face-Off As Congress, AAP Join Forces — Top Points

Congress and AAP have joined hands to contest against BJP in the Chandigarh mayoral polls.

Chandigarh mayor polls ( Image Source :PTI )

The polls to elect the next mayor in Chandigarh will not be just limited to a civic election but would be the first litmus test of the Opposition's I.N.D.I.A bloc's might to take on against the Bharatiya Janata Party as Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have joined hands to contest the Thursday polls.

The I.N.D.I.A bloc aims to unseat the saffron party from the city's top post which has been secured by the BJP for consecutive last eight terms. 

The voting is taking place amid high security with heavy deployment of police personnel. 600 police personnel and Rapid Action Force soldiers have been deployed, said Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur, according to ANI. Security has also been tightened outside the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation office, the news agency reported. 

• AAP has fielded Kuldeep Kumar Tita against BJP's Manoj Sonkar. The Congress is contesting on the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
• For senior deputy mayor, the contest will be between BJP's Kuljeet Sandhu and Congress's Gurpreet Singh Gabi.
• On the deputy mayor post, Rajinder Sharma from BJP will take on against Congress party's Nirmala Devi.
• Ahead of the election, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha exuded confidence saying that the INDIA bloc will sweep the Chandigarh mayoral polls and the victory will be the curtain raiser for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 
• Chadha also met senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal in Chandigarh ahead of the polls, reported PTI quoting sources as saying. 
• Speaking on the security arrangements for the polls, SSP Kaur said, "In view of the Mayoral elections, today we have deployed 600 of our policemen and RAF soldiers are deployed... We have taken preemptive measures to maintain the law and order situation... We have given access to the Municipal Corporation building only to those who are either voters, candidates or who have a pass given by the Civil Administration..."
• On Wednesday evening, AAP mayoral candidate Kuldeep Kumar moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking appointment of a court commissioner to supervise the Chandigarh mayoral poll process in order to ensure free and fair election. 

• The BJP currently has 14 councillors in the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, followed by AAP with 13 councillors and Congress seven. MP Kirron Kher is the ex-officio member who has voting rights.