Chandigarh [India], January 30 (HBTV): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) triumphed in the Chandigarh Mayoral Elections by securing 19 votes, defeating the AAP-Congress alliance, which garnered 17 votes.

BJP candidate Harpreet Kaur Babla emerged victorious over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Prem Lata. The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has a total of 36 votes, comprising 35 councillors and one Member of Parliament (MP) from the territory. A majority of 19 votes was required to win.

The voting for the Mayor's position commenced around 11 am. During the election, three councillors from the AAP-Congress alliance cross-voted against Prem Lata, ensuring the BJP's victory.

Before the voting began, an FIR was filed against former mayor and AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar and his brother-in-law Rahul Chanalia on charges of corruption. The case concerns an alleged bribe in the recruitment of sanitation workers on a contract basis within the Municipal Corporation.

The complainant, Ravi Birla, lodged a complaint with the SSP on Tuesday, accusing Rahul of taking a bribe of INR 1 lakh for a job as a sanitation worker, but failing to provide the job. According to Ravi, INR 75,000 was paid online, while INR 30,000 was given in cash. He also presented 15 recordings and screenshots of online transactions to support his claim.

The Chandigarh Police's crime branch registered an FIR within 24 hours, further intensifying the election atmosphere.

Earlier, on October 29, 2024, the Municipal Corporation passed a resolution to conduct voting by "show of hands" instead of the secret ballot. This change was overseen by AAP's Kuldeep Kumar, who had been mayor at that time.

On February 20, 2024, a division bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, ruled that Kuldeep Kumar, the AAP candidate, had won the mayoral election. The Court found that the Returning Officer, Anil Masih, had deliberately invalidated eight ballots cast in favour of Kumar on January 30. (ANI)