Manoj Sonkar | Photo: ANI
BJP leader Manoj Sonkar resigned as Chandigarh mayor and three AAP councilors joined the saffron party on Sunday, a day before the Supreme Court is set to hear a plea on irregularities in the recently held mayoral elections.
Sonkar has submitted his resignation to the municipal commissioner, Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra said.
The Congress and the AAP have no alliance and are only fooling the public. They will be displayed to the public, Malhotra told PTI.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Arun Sood said three AAP councilors have joined the BJP.
The BJP had won the January 30 mayoral elections in Chandigarh, in a setback for the Congress-AAP alliance, which alleged tampering of ballot papers by the Speaker.
Sonkar had defeated AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar for the mayor’s post by 16 votes against his rival’s 12. Eight votes were declared invalid.
Kumar had later moved the Supreme Court.
On February 5, the Supreme Court had raped the returning officer conducting the Chandigarh mayoral elections, observing that it was clear that he had violated the ballot papers and that he should be prosecuted, adding that his action amounted to “murder and mockery of democracy. .
The court had also ordered retention of the ballot papers and video of the voting proceedings, besides requesting the personal appearance of the returning officer during the next hearing in the case on February 19.
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First print: February 19, 2024 | 12:01 am IST