SC declares AAP leader as Mayor of Chandigarh
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday ruled that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Kuldeep Kumar is the validly elected candidate for the post of Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
The top court noted that the election result by the presiding officer, Anil Masih, is “quashed”.
A CCTV footage had caught Returning Officer Anil Masih deliberately invalidating and discarding eight votes in favour of the AAP leader.
The Supreme Court said “counting the 8 votes for the petitioner will make him have 20 votes”, making Kuldeep Kumar the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral polls.
The BJP won the Chandigarh mayoral polls on January 30 defeating the comfortably placed AAP-Congress alliance candidate after the returning officer declared as invalid eight votes of the coalition partners, drawing accusations of tampering with ballots.
Manoj Sonkar of the BJP defeated Kuldeep Kumar after polling 16 votes against his rival’s 12 to bag the mayor’s post. Sonkar, however, resigned subsequently, while three AAP councillors defected to the BJP.
The point of controversy related to 8 ballots, which the presiding officer had declared to be invalid. Out of the total 36 votes, only 28 votes were counted. The AAP councillor secured 12 votes and the BJP candidate got 16 votes.