• Source:JND
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Chandigarh Mayor Election: Chandigarh Mayor Manoj Sonkar resigned on Sunday late in the evening amid allegations that recent mayoral polls were rigged. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tampered with the postal ballots during the January 30 Chandigarh mayoral poll on Monday. The saffron party leader, Sonkar, defeated the AAP's Kuldeep Kumar for the mayor's post, polling 16 votes against his rival's 12. Eight votes were declared invalid. 

 

Meanwhile, three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors has resigned from the party and has joined BJP today. Among the councillors resigned are Punam Devi, Neha Musawat, and Gurcharan Kala.

The opposition councillors from AAP and Congress had alleged that the presiding officer had tampered with the ballot papers. However, the charges by the opposition leaders were rubbished by the BJP.  The petition was filed by AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar, who was the candidate for the post of mayor, against the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and the Union Territory administration, among others.

Earlier this month, the apex Court had rapped the returning officer who conducted the mayoral polls, observing that it was obvious that he defaced 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 preservation of ballots and the video of the poll proceedings besides seeking the returning officer's personal appearance during the next hearing in the case on February 19. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had accused the BJP of indulging in "hooliganism" and said if people do not stop it together it will be extremely "dangerous" for the nation.

(With input from agencies)