Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 18
BJP candidate Rajesh Kalia was elected the new Mayor of Chandigarh in elections held during a House meeting of the Municipal Corporation here today. Kalia defeated party rebel Satish Kainth. Hardeep Singh of the Akali Dal was elected the Senior Deputy Mayor, while Kanwarjeet Rana was elected the Deputy Mayor.
Of the 27 votes, Kalia polled 16, while Kainth got 11. Congress candidate Sheela Devi withdrew her name just before the elections to pave the way for the victory of Kainth, but he could not get the required 14 votes to win the elections. Though Kainth lost the election, he managed to get five votes of BJP councillors.
City BJP president Sanjay Tandon announced the expulsion of Kainth from the membership of the party and also formed a two-member committee to find out the party councillors who voted against the official candidate. Congress candidate Sheela Devi withdrew her name just before the elections. Soon after taking over the charge, Kalia thanked party leaders and Babasaheb Ambedakar. He said a campaign to tarnish his image was carried out in the recent past and said he was never convicted by any court. He said all cases against him were filed with a political motive.
He said before the elections, he was portrayed like a “terrorist” and nobody talked about the pain and hardship he suffered due to the poor financial condition of his family. He said his father came to Chandigarh in 1972. His father was so poor that he had to work as a ragpicker at a dumping ground earlier. Educated up to Class XII, he was also active in the RSS and later served as the chairman of the Chandigarh SC Morcha.
Nominated councillor Ajay Dutta conduced the elections. The Congress had fielded Gurbax Rawat for the post of Senior Deputy Mayor and Ravinder Kaur for the post of Deputy Mayor.
Reacting to the result, city Congress president Pradeep Chhabra said the cross-voting in the BJP indicated that BJP councillors were also fed with their party. He said people of the city would vote for the Congress in the next elections.
BJP expels Kainth, forms 2-member probe panel
City BJP president Sanjay Tandon announced the expulsion of Kainth from the membership of the party and also formed a two-member committee to find out the party councillors who voted against the official candidate.
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