BJP’s Harpreet Babla elected Chandigarh mayor after cross-voting

Chandigarh: BJP’s Harpreet Babla has been elected as the new mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, securing victory by two votes after cross-voting.

Babla received 19 votes, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress alliance candidate Prem Lata got 17.

The BJP had the support of only 16 councillors, whereas the AAP-Congress alliance had a combined strength of 19, including AAP’s 13 councillors, Congress’ six, and MP Manish Tewari.

Despite holding a majority, the alliance’s candidate lost, indicating that three votes from its camp went in favor of the BJP.

The mayoral election comes a year after allegations of rigging in the 2023 polls. At that time, the election officer had marked votes with a cross, leading to the BJP candidate’s victory.

CCTV footage captured the incident, prompting a Supreme Court hearing and a recount, after which AAP’s Kuldeep Tita was declared the winner.