Chandigarh to get new mayor on January 24
The announcement, made by deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav, confirmed that the election will be held at 11 am in the Assembly Hall of the Chandigarh municipal corporation, Sector 17, with results to be announced right away
The date is finally out. Chandigarh will get its next mayor, along with the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, on January 24.
The announcement, made by deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav, confirmed that the election will be held at 11 am in the Assembly Hall of the Chandigarh municipal corporation, Sector 17, with results to be announced right away. Nominations for all three posts must be filed by January 20.
Nominated councillor Ramneek Singh Bedi will preside over the election as the convening authority.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress councillors, part of the INDIA bloc, are set to once again challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for key positions in the MC.
Despite a gruelling legal battle over last year’s mayoral elections, the alliance has reaffirmed its unity. Congress president HS Lucky stated, “Our alliance is intact, and we have started official meetings to discuss our strategies and candidates.”
In 2024, AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor was appointed as the Chandigarh mayor by the Supreme Court in the aftermath of the Anil Masih ballot-tampering fiasco, becoming the first non-BJP and non-Congress mayor of the city.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav visited the MC office on Tuesday to review election arrangements, including security, logistics and compliance with guidelines. He confirmed the installation of CCTV cameras inside the assembly hall and the deployment of police personnel for smooth elections. Media will also be allowed to cover the election proceedings to ensure transparency.
New mayor to be a woman
In Chandigarh, the elections for the three posts are held every year. Being the fourth year, the new mayor will be a woman, as per the city’s five-year mayoral rotation system.
From AAP, three contenders, including Prem Lata, Anju Katyal and Jaswinder Kaur, are the front runners for the prestigious post.
Party insiders say Prem Lata so far is ahead of others in the race. Tarun Mehta from Congress may also contest for the mayoral seat, but as per the parties’ alliance pact, Congress is most likely to back AAP’s mayoral candidate.
The BJP is likely pick its mayoral face from among Harpreet Kaur Babla and former mayor Sarabjeet Kaur.
INDIA bloc has numerical edge
Notably, AAP and Congress are likely to retain the key municipal positions, banking on their numerical advantage in the 35-member Chandigarh MC. Currently, the INDIA bloc commands 21 votes in the MC House — 13 from AAP, seven from Congress and one ex-officio vote of MP Manish Tewari.
Conversely, the BJP has only 15 votes and is relying on cross-voting or defection of INDIA bloc councillors to tip the balance in its favour.
AAP to move court against poll date
Following notification of the poll date, AAP Chandigarh co-in-charge SS Ahluwalia said the party will move court against the DC’s notification to hold elections on January 24.
“The BJP has once again conspired with government officials to kill democracy in Chandigarh. The tenure of current mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor is going to end on February 19, 2025. But by putting pressure on government officials, the tenure of the mayor was reduced to 11 months, whereas according to the law, it is one year.”
He further said it was unfortunate that the administration rejected the demand of voting by show of hands instead of secret ballot in the mayoral elections.
“During voting conducted by secret ballot last year, presiding officer Anil Masih had invalidated Dhalor’s votes by making marks with a pen. Re-election by secret ballot is once again pointing towards a big conspiracy. AAP will go to court against this entire conspiracy and will not allow injustice to be done to the people of Chandigarh,” Ahluwalia contended.
