CHANDIGARH: Nearly a week ahead of the filing of nominations for the mayoral polls, Chandigarh Congress on Thursday announced its candidates for all the three posts — mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. Polling is scheduled for January 8.
Senior party leader and municipal councillor Devinder Singh Babla will contest for the post of mayor, while Ravinder Kaur Gujral and Satish Kainth will challenge the BJP nominees for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
Although there is no competition at all on all the three posts, as the BJP is in overwhelming majority in the 27-member house, the Congress has decided to try its best to manage a few votes through cross-voting. But, the gap is so much that the Congress move is unlikely to have any impact on the fortunes of the BJP candidates. Besides, the saffron party will also try to ensure that not even a single cross-voting happens, so as to project a united face of the party, especially since the MC election is due for December 2021.
Out of the 27 members in the general house, 21 belong to the BJP, including the city MP, while five members are from the Congress and one of the Shiromani Akali Dal. The nominated councillors do not have the right to vote in the mayoral polls.
“We have declared our mayoral candidates and we will contest the election with full might. Our candidates are strong. The people of the country have seen the real face of the BJP and we are hopeful that in the coming civic body election in December 2021, people will throw BJP out of the MC and choose the Congress, which is committed for the city’s development,” said Chandigarh Congress president Pardeep Chhabra.
The UT administration has already declared January 8 as the date of polling for all the three mayoral posts. Nominated councillor Ajay Datta has been appointed the presiding officer, while the voting will be done in presence of the UT deputy commissioner.