Last Update: January 16, 2023, 13:51 IST
BJP councilor on Monday in Morni, Panchkula… Both AAP and BJP have 14 members each in the 36-member Municipal Corporation House. That’s why every corporator’s vote is important. (Photo: News18)
While the BJP councilors are in Panchkula, the Congress councilors are in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. During the municipal elections last year, the Congress abstained from voting. It can happen this time too but the final decision has to be taken by the party high command.
Shifting of MLAs to “safer” places due to fear of poaching ahead of state assembly elections has often happened in the past. But this fear is also visible in local politics, as the parties had camped their councilors in far-flung areas in the mayoral election of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
The BJP has camped its corporators in a small hill station of Morni in Panchkula ahead of the elections, while Congress corporators have been shifted to Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan. Councilors of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) taking rest at a resort in Ropar, Punjab.
With their respective governments, the parties, perhaps, believe that their councilors are “safe”.
Both the AAP and the BJP have 14 members each in the 36-member Municipal Corporation House. That’s why every corporator’s vote is important. Since there is no whip for the mayoral election, neither party is taking chances. Parties are gripped by the fear that their councilors may switch sides or cross-vote in favor of rival candidates.
Mayoral candidates are elected by councilors through secret ballot in the MC House, excluding the possibility of cross-voting.
During the municipal elections last year, the Congress abstained from voting. It may happen this time too but the final decision is expected to be taken by the party high command.
Six corporators from the Congress and one corporator from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are in the fray. But with one more vote of Kirron Kher, an MP and ex-officio member, BJP seems to be getting an edge. If the Congress and the Akali Dal abstain, then 15 votes will be needed to win.
While the BJP has declared first-time corporator Anoop Gupta as its candidate, Jasbir Singh Laddi is AAP’s mayoral candidate. When their names were announced, there were murmurs within the parties that there might be intense lobbying for a majority number to win the mayoral election.
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