SAD to stage walkout during city mayoral poll

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

Nearly a fortnight before the city mayoral elections, the Chandigarh Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has decided to stage a walkout from the MC House on the poll day in "support of farmers."

It will probably be the first time that the former BJP ally will not vote for any party in the mayoral elections. “We will walk out in support of the farmers. The SAD will not vote for any party. We can never go with the Congress, and we have already severed our ties with the BJP over the farmers' issue,” MC councillor Hardeep Singh, who is also the president of the city SAD, told Chandigarh Tribune.

The BJP and the SAD had fought the last MC elections together. Of the 26 wards, the saffron party had contested 22 seats and had won 20 of them, while its former associate fought on four seats and won one.

Though the SAD has only one seat in the House, its decision is significant on two counts. One, it is a big symbolic move with regard to the farmers’ issue ahead of the 2021 MC poll (councillors' elections). More importantly, even one vote is crucial in the mayoral elections due to the "factionalism" in the ruling BJP.

In 2015, despite a majority in the MC House, BJP candidate Heera Negi lost the Mayor's seat to Congress candidate Poonam Sharma by two votes. There have been several such instances in the mayoral and committee polls in the MC where two or even one vote decided the winner.

The mayoral elections will be held on January 8. There are a total 27 votes -- 26 of elected councillors and one of ex officio member (city MP). The BJP has 20 seats and the Congress five. A candidate needs 14 votes to get elected to the post.

The SAD has already declared that it will contest from all wards in the in the December 2021 MC poll.

Earlier this month, the UT Administration notified the draft notification for delimitation, increasing the number of wards from 26 to 35.