“Just one candle can light up a dark room, and the apex court was that candle for us,” the Opposition stated minutes after the Supreme Court ordered a recount and observed that eight votes declared invalid should be treated as valid. Celebrations have already begun at Punjab Bhawan with AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Tita, alias Kuldeep Dhalor, hoping to win the poll now. Chandigarh Congress President HS Lucky, while speaking to The Indian Express, said, “The SC directing that these be declared valid is a clear victory for us. We are extremely grateful that justice was done to all of us. When this misdeed took place, it was like a situation where the people of Chandigarh were pushed into a dark room, and the SC turned out to be that candle for us — the light we all needed. These eight votes were all in favor of our candidate, and now.” He added, “This clearly shows how criminal it was to be unfair and unjust by declaring someone else a winner by declaring eight votes invalid, especially when they were in favor of Kuldeep.” Congress leader and former Union Minister Pawan Bansal said, “The truth of BJP’s machination during the Chandigarh Mayor election has been unveiled. It is clear that all these eight votes were validly polled but declared invalid. The conspiracy has ultimately been punctured, and the SC has saved democracy from being murdered.” The Opposition stated that the SC was the only ray of hope, as “they had received a setback when even the Punjab and Haryana High Court had given three weeks to file a reply when they looked for interim relief.” आख़िरकार सत्य की जीत हुई. चंडीगढ़ में मेयर चुनाव को लेकर सुप्रीम कोर्ट के फैसले का हम स्वागत करते हैं. पीठासीन अधिकारी द्वारा खारिज किए गए 8 वोटों को सही ठहराते हुए CJI ने AAP के कुलदीप कुमार को मेयर घोषित किया. बीजेपी द्वारा सरेआम की गई गुंडागर्दी का उन्हें मुंहतोड़ जवाब… — Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) February 20, 2024 Aam Aadmi Party Chandigarh in-charge Dr SS Ahluwalia, while speaking to The Indian Express, said, “When we petitioned the High Court with our grievances, three weeks' time was given, and we were all dejected. Finally, we moved to the SC, which delivered justice to us, finding that eight votes were not invalid.” He added, "BJP tried all three things - first, they tried to postpone the election, then they pressured the presiding officer to carry out this invalid votes strategy, and finally, they carried out horse trading by quickly taking our three councillors. Truth will prevail."
