Chandigarh MC polls ‘not to take place’ as presiding officer falls sick, says Cong leader

Chandigarh: Amid protest by Congress and AAP municipal councillors for not being allowed to go inside the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation House, senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal Thursday claimed that they have been informed that elections will “not take place today” as the presiding officer has fallen sick.

The development came just ahead of the polling for the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.

However, there was no official word on postponing the mayoral polls.

“It has been informed that elections will not take place today as the presiding officer has fallen sick,” said Bansal as he accused the BJP of not allowing the polls to take place as the saffron party was to face defeat in the elections.

Bansal said no next date for the poll has been given.

The polls for the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor were to take place on Thursday.

AAP senior leader Raghav Chadha said they will move the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Ahead of the Chandigarh mayoral polls, the municipal councillors of the Congress and the AAP staged a protest here, claiming that they were not allowed to go inside the municipal corporation.

Councillors owing allegiance to the AAP and the Congress also shouted slogans against the BJP.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party -- both INDIA bloc members –have joined hands to contest the mayoral elections.

Under the Congress-AAP alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will fight for the mayor's seat while the Congress will contest the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.

In the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the BJP has 14 councillors. It also has an ex-officio member MP (Kirron Kher) who has voting rights.

The AAP has 13 councillors and the Congress seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor in the House.