In a significant turn of events, the Chandigarh Mayor election witnessed a decisive victory for the AAP-Congress alliance. AAP’s candidate Kuldeep Kumar has been declared as the Mayor by the Supreme Court. This win is a major turning point in Chandigarh’s political history.
The Verdict of Chandigarh Mayor Election
Following its ruling on Tuesday, January 20, the Supreme Court declared AAP councilor Kuldeep Kumar to be the new mayor of Chandigarh. After this decision, Kuldeep Kumar thanked Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and other party leaders for their steadfast support during the campaign.
“Truth may be troubled, but it cannot be suppressed or trampled upon,” said Kuldeep Kumar. The Supreme Court’s decision today confirms this. These people made an effort to weaken democracy. A historic decision to maintain democracy in India has been made today. I am very happy with the verdict and think highly of it.”-Chandigarh Mayor Election.
Intervention of the Supreme Court at Chandigarh Mayor Election
The Supreme Court examined Returning Officer Anil Masih’s actions. Rather than holding fair elections, Masih was accused by Kuldeep Kumar of working as an agent of the BJP. He underlined that Masih’s acts were completely in opposition to democracy and that the Supreme Court had harshly criticized him for them.
The appointed judicial officers from the Punjab and Haryana High Court submitted records, including ballots, during the Supreme Court proceedings. The Supreme Court declared that it would investigate ballots that were declared invalid, especially those that supported the AAP candidate.
The Fallout
The Supreme Court ordered a vote recount and the examination of eight ballots that were returned unmarked due to the controversy surrounding the Chandigarh mayor’s race. As a result, the election was declared invalid by the Supreme Court, calling for new elections.
The Supreme Court also directed Anil Masih, the Election Officer, to face malpractice charges in light of the irregularities and misbehavior that occurred during the election process.
The Supreme Court’s observations clearly show that the officer in charge made an intentional effort to manipulate with eight votes. The Supreme Court has harshly punished this explicit disrespect for democratic principles.
