Refusing to stay the results of the Chandigarh mayoral polls, held amid allegations of grave irregularities on Tuesday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday asked the Chandigarh administration to respond in the matter within three weeks.
Plea by AAP-Congress
The high court was hearing the plea of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-Congress-combine candidate Kuldeep Dholar who had lost to Manoj Sonkar of BJP in the high-adrenaline poll and had moved the high court on Tuesday itself seeking court to restrain Sonkar from discharging duties.
Dholar, an AAP councillor also had support of Congress and the two parties seemed to have a clear majority with 20 members (AAP – 13, Congress – 7) in the 35-member Municipal Corporation House as the BJP had 14 councillors, plus one of MP Kirron Kher, an ex-officio member – totalling 15.
Results create controversy
However, the results whipped up a major controversy as the presiding officer Anil Masih held eight votes as invalid and declared Sonkar as winner. The results evoked severe criticism from top AAP and Congress leaders with the high-stake poll being the first such ``test’’ for the INDIA bloc against BJP.
The leaders of the AAP and Congress - constituents of the INDIA bloc - alleged that the presiding officer Anil Masih, a nominated councillor of BJP committed grave irregularities so that BJP candidate Sonkar won.
Dholar in his petition before the high court also sought that the polls be held afresh under the supervision of a retired high court judge as Tuesday's polling was "a result of complete fraud and forgery’’. He also sought the said polls also be probed by an independent agency.
Petitioner's allegations
The petitioner further alleged that the presiding officer had pointedly said that he did not want any assistance from the members nominated by the parties in the counting process and he would himself count the votes, despite the repeated demand by AAP and Congress councillors.
Rueing that even senior officials present on the occasion did not object to this, he further held that the presiding officer, against all rules thus, announced that eight votes were invalid and did not speak anything about the invalidity of the votes and the party to whom these votes were polled.
AAP to move SC for early hearing: Mann
Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said that the AAP would move the apex court for an early hearing of the petition related to Chandigarh mayoral election.
According to media reports, Mann, who interacted with newspersons after HC refused to stay the polls result, said that everything was there in the video and what report would the Chandigarh administration give in three weeks. He held that the said poll was "an example of murder of democracy."
