Chandigarh mayoral polls: Test for Congress-AAP ahead of nat’l polls

The Congress-Aam Aadmi Party alliance in Punjab faces its first test tomorrow as it goes to the Chandigarh mayoral election in a bid to unseat the BJP from key posts, which the saffron party has been holding for the last eight years.

The Congress-AAP alliance in the state assumes significance ahead of the parliamentary polls due in a few months.

The opposition parties joined hands to contest the national election as part of a 28-party opposition alliance formed last year to oust the saffron party from power.

Interestingly, AAP defeated Congress in the election to Punjab legislative assembly two years ago.

Under the arrangement, AAP, which rules Punjab and Delhi, will fight for the mayor's seat while Congress will contest the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.

In the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, BJP has 14 councillors. It also has an ex-officio member MP (actress Kirron Kher) who has voting rights.

AAP has 13 councillors and Congress seven. BJP's former ally Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor.

Since, the mayor is elected by the councillors through secret ballots. Hence, the possibility of cross-voting cannot be ruled out.

Congress had abstained from voting in 2022 and 2023, leading to BJP's victory in the mayoral polls.

Elections for the three posts are held every year during the five-year term of the House.