HC directs Chandigarh administration to hold mayoral polls after January 29

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday (January 20, 2025) set aside the Chandigarh administration's notification for holding the mayoral polls of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on January 24.

The Bench of Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Vikas Suri directed the UT administration to issue a fresh notification for holding the mayoral polls after January 29.

The directions came on a petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party councillor and sitting Chandigarh mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor, who had sought that the mayoral polls be held in February so that he may complete his one-year term, besides demanding steps for transparency in the poll process.

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In the petition, the petitioner also sought that voting in the mayoral polls be held by show of hands instead of secret ballot.

After the hearing in the High Court on Monday, Mr. Dhalor's counsel Ferry Sofat said the petition had submitted if the mayoral polls take place on January 24 then he will get less than one-year term as he was elected to the post on February 20 last year after the Supreme Court had set aside the January 30, 2024 polls.

Advocate Sofat said the High Court set aside the notification for holding the mayoral polls on January 24, directing the Chandigarh administration to conduct the elections after January 29.

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The counsel said the court observed that since the mayoral elections were conducted on January 30 last year, therefore the tenure of the mayor will be counted till January 29.

Mr. Dhalor was declared the mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation by the Supreme Court on February 20 last year after overturning the result of the mayoral polls in which the BJP candidate had emerged the winner.

The then presiding officer Anil Masih was accused of tampering with ballot papers in the 2024 mayoral polls.

On the issue of polling by show of hands, Sofat said the court has asked the administration to reconsider this demand.

The Chandigarh administration on January 7 had issued a notification for holding the polls to the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Chandigarh municipal corporation on January 24.

The last day for filing nominations was January 20.