Chandigarh: 2 Aam Aadmi Party Councillors, Who Joined BJP, Return To AAP Fold

Two of the three Councillors from the AAP Poonam Devi and Neha Musawat returned to the AAP on Saturday.

Two of the three Councillors from the AAP Poonam Devi and Neha Musawat returned to the AAP on Saturday.

Source : X/ANI

Days after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, two of the three Councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party Poonam Devi and Neha Musawat returned to the AAP on Saturday.

#WATCH | Chandigarh: Two of the three Councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party-Poonam Devi and Neha Musawat, who joined the BJP returned to the Aam Aadmi Party.

(Source: AAP) https://t.co/nQZTWeFdeC pic.twitter.com/1Y4Ezs0Mef

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024

The development came days after the Congress-AAP alliance lost elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. Last month, three AAP Chandigarh councillors Punam Devi, Neha Musawat, and Gurcharan Kala joined the BJP.

According to a statement released by AAP, Poonam Kumari and Neha Musabat returned to the party on Saturday. Both leaders rejoined the AAP in the presence of the AAP's co-incharge, Sunny Ahluwalia, on Saturday.

Kumari, Musabat, and another councillor joined the saffron party on February 19, a day before the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear a plea alleging irregularities in the mayoral polls.

After Kumari and Musabat’s return to the AAP, the party's strength in the 35-member house of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation reaches 12, while the BJP's tally is down to 15. The Congress has seven councillors, while the Akali Dal has one. Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher, who is a BJP member, also has voting rights as an ex-officio member of the corporation.

On March 4, the BJP managed to win reelection for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, defeating the Congress candidates who were backed by the AAP as part of the opposition's I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

On February 20, the top court declared AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar as the new mayor of the corporation after it overturned the result of the January 30 mayoral poll in which BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar emerged as the winner.

The SC judgement came after allegations of tampering with ballots during the January mayoral polls. As the mayor is the presiding officer for the elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, the elections were held again on Monday after the change of mayor.