The Chandigarh mayoral election will be held on Tuesday, putting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against an alliance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress. In what will be the first altercation between the NDA and the INDIA group ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar's sensational switch, an extensive police deployment has been planned, involving approximately 800 police officers and additional paramilitary forces, with a three-layer barricade securing the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
The polls were initially set for January 18, but were moved to February 6 by the Chandigarh government when the presiding officer became unwell, PTI reported. At the time, the government also stated that the elections would be postponed following an assessment of the peace and order situation.
The mayoral elections are significant since opposition INDIA bloc members the Congress and the AAP have joined forces to challenge the BJP, which has held the mayor's position for the previous eight years.
As part of the coalition, the AAP is running for mayor, while the Congress has candidates for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
The BJP has 14 councillors in Chandigarh's 35-member Municipal Corporation. Kirron Kher, the Chandigarh MP, also has voting powers as an ex-officio member.
The Congress has seven councillors, while the AAP has 13. The Shiromani Akali Dal has a single councillor.
The decree delaying the votes sparked protests from Congress and AAP councillors.
Kuldeep Kumar, the AAP's candidate for mayor, filed a high court appeal against the Chandigarh deputy commissioner's order deferring the polls.
In its January 24 judgement, the high court mandated the Chandigarh government to hold mayoral elections at 10 a.m. on January 30. It also overturned the administration's January 18 decision delaying the elections, calling it "unreasonable, unjustified, and arbitrary".
The high court also ruled that councillors who come to vote should not be accompanied by supporters or security professionals from any other state.
The Chandigarh Police would provide security for the councillors, the court stated.
The police have also been instructed to ensure that no commotion or adverse event occurs on or around the civic body premises during or after the voting process.
Elections for the three positions are held annually during the House's five-year tenure. The Congress withdrew from voting in 2022 and 2023, allowing the BJP to win the elections.
The mayor is elected via a secret ballot.
The mayor's seat has been reserved for the Scheduled Caste category in this year's elections, which are the third of the tenure. The BJP has fielded Manoj Sonkar, while the AAP has nominated Kumar.
Kuljeet Sandhu of the BJP will compete for the position of senior deputy mayor with Gurpreet Singh Gabi of the Congress.
Rajinder Sharma of the BJP will face Congress contender Nirmala Devi for the position of deputy mayor.