Chandigarh Mayor Manoj Sonkar resigns, 3 AAP councillors join BJP

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, February 18

A day before hearing in the Supreme Court, Mayor Manoj Sonkar, who was elected amid allegations of rigging by presiding officer Anil Masih on January 30, resigned today, paving the way for fresh mayor’s election. In a boost to the BJP, three AAP councillors have joined the ruling party.

Advantage BJP

Now, the BJP has a total of 18 votes in the MC House (17 councillors and ex officio member, i.e. MP). Even if AAP, which now has 10 votes, manages to fight the possible mayoral repolls in alliance with the Congress, which has seven councillors, it will still be left with one vote short of 18 votes of the BJP. Last time, the lone SAD councillor voted for the ruling party.

Let there be repolls

The Mayor resigned at 2 pm on Sunday. The Opposition was creating a ruckus and disturbing the environment of the city every day. So, he has resigned. Let election be held again. — Jatinder Pal Malhotra, City BJP President

According to information, Sonkar, accompanied by party leaders, submitted his resignation to MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra around 10:30 pm at her residence. The BJP kept it a secret the whole day.

City BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra claimed, “The Mayor resigned at 2 pm today.” When asked about the reason for the resignation, he said, “The Opposition was creating a ruckus and disturbing the environment of the city every day. So, he has resigned. Let election be held again.”

However, the BJP leaders have not resigned from the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. They claimed there was no dispute over these two posts as the Opposition had staged a walkout during polling.

With the three AAP councillors defecting to the BJP, the ruling party now has a majority in the MC House. Defection by the AAP councillors is said to be the reason for the new move by the saffron party.

A party leader said after Sonkar’s resignation, re-polls would be conducted and he would win again.

Speculation was rife the whole day that Sonkar will resign during a party councillors’ meeting at the PWD rest house in Panchkula.

In the evening, all party councillors were asked to reach Kisan Bhawan in Panchkula and spend the night there till further directions. It seems the ruling BJP wants to keep its flock together ahead of the apex court’s directions on Monday.

Meanwhile, Neha Musawat, Poonam and Gurcharanjit Singh (Kala) joined the BJP in the presence of BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde at his Delhi residence. Kala had quit the BJP to join AAP ahead of the the mayoral poll.

“The BJP will give them justice as per their potential without any false promises, which AAP made to them. I welcome them in the party and am confident they will work for the betterment of Chandigarh’s citizens,” said Tawde at the joining of the BJP by the three councillors.

Neha said AAP had promised to make her the mayoral candidate claiming they would give an opportunity to more educated person, but it didn’t happen. Poonam said PM Modi was the messiah of the poor and Dalits and had done a lot of development work for every section of society. She was very happy to join the BJP.

Gurcharanjit Kala said he was misled by some people and his phone was taken away, so now, he was back in his own party.

Now, the BJP has a total of 18 votes in the MC House (17 councillors and ex officio member, i.e. MP). Even if AAP, which now has 10 votes, manages to fight the possible mayoral repolls in alliance with the Congress, which has seven councillors, it will still be left with one vote short of 18 votes of the BJP. However, the Congress, for now, seems to be in no mood to have an alliance with AAP in the mayoral polls after the latter announced that it would contest the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat on its own.

BJP’s Manoj Sonkar had defeated AAP’s Kuldeep Dhalor Tita, who was fielded under INDIA bloc, to win the post of Mayor. The Opposition had accused presiding officer Anil Masih of tampering with the votes polled. Sonkar polled 16 votes against Kuldeep’s 12 votes. Eight votes were declared invalid.

Reacting on the development, senior AAP leader Prem Garg alleged, “Even for an election like MC mayoral poll, the BJP has to execute operation Lotus. It’s really a shame. The honourable courts must take cognisance of this horse trading by the ruling party. We demand that all eight ballots declared invalid by Anil Masih fraudulently be treated as valid and AAP’s candidate be declared the Mayor. Also the SC should strongly recommend the applicability of anti-defection law to the Municipal Corporation, where elections are held on party symbols. The mayor’s election should be held by show of hands.”

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