CHANDIGARH: A high drama was witnessed in Chandigarh on Thursday after the Municipal Corporation mayoral elections were postponed as the presiding authority, Anil Masih, reported sick.
The polls for the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor were to be held on Thursday.
Both AAP and Congress councillors, who had decided to contest together, registered their protest.
Soon reactions started coming in over the development.
Congress leader Pawan Bansal said: “I have been informed that we (Congress workers and councillors) are not being allowed to go inside (the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation office) because the presiding officer is not well and has been hospitalised. They (BJP) want to stop the election… We will move the High Court.”
Sandeep Kumar Pathak, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, said: “Staring at its inevitable defeat, the BJP has started its dirty tricks machinery in Chandigarh. If this is the kind of election system we have in the country then it’s highly discouraging. The BJP is trying hard to postpone the mayor election in Chandigarh by misusing the government apparatus. We will not let them succeed.”
AAP leader Raghav Chadha told reporters: “The BJP knows the INDIA bloc has more numbers. The BJP’s situation is like a kid, who gets out and runs away with the bat, saying he will not let the match be held. The INDIA bloc has given the BJP sleepless nights.”
He said: “Someone else could have been appointed presiding officer. The BJP is so scared that it is not allowing the election. The BJP wants to finish the democracy. I appeal to people to save democracy. We need to get rid of the BJP. Or the BJP will make it North Korea. We have appealed to the high court that an impartial election be held, that a presiding officer is announced and the election is held today.”