Chandigarh mayoral polls: Cross-voting leaves fractured AAP-Cong alliance on ventilator

The BJP’s victory in mayoral polls has dealt a huge blow to both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, and cast a shadow over their already fragile alliance in Chandigarh.

The alliance’s loss also raises questions about city member Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari’s ability hereon to influence the city’s administration and fulfil the poll promises he made to voters during the Lok Sabha elections last year.

For nearly two months, cracks in the alliance were becoming more apparent, both at the national level and within neighbouring Punjab, as both parties took jabs at each other.

This growing discord even led AAP to take drastic steps, attempting to have the mayoral polls delayed until after the Delhi assembly elections by bringing the matter to the Supreme Court.

Tewari also made tireless efforts to somehow keep the flock together. But his attempts were in vain, and now, with the election result in hand, knives are out.

AAP leader and Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema made no effort to conceal his frustration, stating, “AAP fulfilled its duty, which is why Congress’ deputy mayor and senior deputy mayor got elected with the votes of its councillors. Congress has betrayed us. Congress councillors indulged in cross-voting, leading to BJP’s mayor being elected.”

On the other side, Tewari refrained from directly blaming AAP, but expressed the need for accountability within the alliance: “Those who did not respect the coalition Dharma on either side should be identified and dealt with severely. This was the sense of the house after a joint meeting of the alliance councillors and the respective leaderships (after the election result).”

Insiders within the Congress hint at deeper issues.

They point to Devinder Singh Babla, former Congress president and husband of Harpreet Kaur Babla, the newly elected BJP mayor, as a key figure who enjoyed personal ties with several Congress leaders.

Babla, along with his wife, had switched to the BJP in 2022 ahead of the mayoral elections.

Furthermore, a number of Congress councillors have voiced their displeasure with Tewari’s leadership, labelling his approach as “dictatorial”.

The growing financial crisis facing the city has also led some Congress members to question AAP’s confrontational tactics with the UT administration.

As one Congress leader put it, “Councillors have to face elections again in December 2026. With development works stalled, how will they face the electorate?”

Political observers suggest that this defeat marks not only the loss of the mayoral seat but also the erosion of the trust that had been forged during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The fallout from this loss could have long-lasting consequences, especially with the next mayoral elections scheduled for January 2026, ahead of the municipal corporation (MC) elections in December 2026, when the Congress will be eyeing a majority in the 35-member House.

In fact, some insiders speculate that the Congress, knowing the difficult path ahead in the upcoming MC elections, may strategically allow the BJP to win the 2026 mayoral election in order to avoid anti-incumbency.

The direct vote of residents in the MC elections will give the Congress the opportunity to make a clean bid for the majority and reassert itself in the Chandigarh political arena by regaining control of both the Lok Sabha and MC House concurrently.

By ensuring that the BJP holds the mayoral seat in the interim, the Congress could position itself to seize control of the MC in the long term.

Former Congress mayor Subhash Chawla, who defected to the BJP in May last year due to his dissatisfaction with the alliance, summed up the situation: “Ever since the alliance broke in Delhi and the parties were at loggerheads in Punjab, the rift between AAP and Congress in Chandigarh was inevitable, even though they tried to project a united front. The alliance in Chandigarh was merely an adjustment.”

As political observers keep a close eye on the fractured alliance, it’s clear that the 2026 MC elections will be a defining moment for both parties. The stakes are high and the battle for control of Chandigarh is far from over.