Chandigarh mayoral polls: AAP candidate Kuldeep challenges BJP win before HC, hearing today

The petitioner has approached High Court seeking directions to “hold the elections afresh after setting aside the process of election that was carried out today” and called today’s election “a result of complete fraud and forgery”.

The petitioner has also demanded that the “fresh elections should be held under the supervision of a Retired High Court Judge, a thorough investigation of today’s election process be carried out by an independent investigation agency headed by SSP (Chandigarh), entire process of today’s election including the ballot papers and videographic evidence be sealed and the newly elected Mayor be restrained from discharging the functions of Mayor as the entire process of election is vitiated by fraud”.

The petition challenging today’s Mayoral election was filed by Kuldeep Kumar through counsels Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh, Advocates RPS Bara, KS Kharbanda and Ferry Sofat.

The petitioner has sought “setting aside the process of Mayoral election” and alleged it to be a “result of complete fraud and forgery laid upon the democratic process by the respondents and especially Manoj Kumar Sonkar (the newly elected BJP Mayor) and the Presiding Officer Anil Masih”.

The petitioner has also alleged that the conduct of respondents is in “complete derogation of the orders passed by the High Court previously to hold free and fair elections”.

The petitioner has impleaded eight respondents in the petition. These include UT Chandigarh through Secretary (Home department), Deputy Commissioner (Prescribed Authority for holding the MC elections), MC Commissioner, Joint Commissioner (MC), Chandigarh’s DGP, SSP, Anil Masih (the presiding officer appointed to hold election) and Manoj Kumar Sonkar (the newly elected Mayor who is also a BJP councilor from Ward No. 7).

The petitioner has pleaded that “the election was not held in a free and fair manner and there were gross violations while counting of votes. The ballot papers were tampered and subsequently declared invalid. The result was announced in favour of BJP and against the alliance of AAP and Congress, resulting in filing of the present Writ”.