Chandigarh Mayoral Polls Updates: First INDIA vs BJP fight; voting at 10 am

The high-stakes Chandigarh mayoral polls are scheduled for today, January 30, after they were postponed due to presiding officer Anil Masih falling ill.

The earlier deferring of the polls just moments before councillors were about to cast their votes triggered protest by the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress members who accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating the turn of events.

The mayoral elections are also seen as the first try-out run for the INDIA bloc vs BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, which are scheduled later this year.

The deputy commissioner had earlier announced February 6 as the next date for the polls, which was retrenched to an earlier date following the Punjab and Haryana high court directing the UT administration to hold the elections on January 30.

As per the fresh notification, the elections will be held at 10 am at the Assembly Hall of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC), Sector 17. Elections for the senior deputy and deputy mayor posts will be held simultaneously.

In the 35-member municipal corporation house, the AAP and the Congress together have 20 votes, while the BJP, which has been ruling the MC for eight years, has 15 votes — 14 of councillors and one of MP Kirron Kher. The magic number is 19.