BJP clean sweeps Chandigarh mayoral polls, Saurav Joshi elected Mayor

The BJP secured a clean sweep in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections on Thursday, winning the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor in a decisive victory that triggered celebrations among party leaders and supporters at the Municipal Corporation House.

BJP councillor Saurav Joshi was elected mayor after the final vote count gave the party 18 votes.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received 11 votes, while Congress candidate Gurpreet Singh Gabbi secured seven votes, including support from six Congress councillors and the city’s Member of Parliament.

The election was conducted under the supervision of Presiding Officer Ramneek Singh Bedi and Deputy Commissioner Chandigarh Nishant Yadav, who directed councillors to follow standard operating procedures throughout the process.

A key feature of this year’s polls was the return of the show-of-hands voting method, being used for the first time since 1996.

Councillors announced their choices openly, raised their hands, and signed after casting their votes.

The system was introduced to improve transparency following concerns over irregularities in previous elections.

The voting process lasted around two hours and concluded peacefully, with officials reporting no incidents of cross-voting.

After being declared mayor, Joshi took charge as presiding officer for the election of the remaining top posts.

BJP candidates Jasmanpreet Singh and Suman Sharma went on to win senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor respectively, completing the party’s sweep of all three positions.

This year’s election came against the backdrop of controversy surrounding the 2024 mayoral polls, which were marred by allegations of vote manipulation.

In that case, the Supreme Court intervened, overturning an initial BJP win and declaring AAP’s Yogesh Dhingra as mayor.

The fallout from last year’s incident prompted renewed calls for reforms, with several stakeholders, including Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, advocating for open voting to prevent tampering and ensure greater accountability.

Historically, Chandigarh’s Municipal Corporation elections have not been covered by the anti-defection law, leading to repeated instances of cross-voting and allegations of corruption.

These factors further strengthened the push for a more transparent process.

Another significant element this year was the lack of coordination between Congress and AAP, which had earlier joined hands to challenge the BJP.

Both parties fielded separate candidates, effectively improving BJP’s prospects in a House where it already held a numerical edge with 18 seats, compared to AAP’s 11 and Congress’s six. The city’s MP also has voting rights in the mayoral election.

Following his victory, Joshi expressed gratitude to BJP workers, especially at the booth level, and reflected on his long political journey, which began in 1989.

He described his election as the result of years of dedication and pledged to work towards the city’s development.

With BJP now in control of the Municipal Corporation’s top leadership, the party is expected to shape Chandigarh’s municipal agenda over the coming year, reiterating its focus on governance and city development.

WHO IS SAURAV JOSHI?

Saurav Joshi, a law graduate from Panjab University, is a second-generation RSS swayamsevak and a longtime BJP activist. He began his political journey as a student leader, contesting for President and General Secretary positions in the Panjab University Student Council as an ABVP candidate.

Elected as BJP councillor at the age of 29, Joshi has steadily risen through the ranks, building on a family legacy deeply rooted in the party.

He is the son of the late Jai Ram Joshi, former State President of BJP Chandigarh, revered locally as the "Mahatma Gandhi of Chandigarh".

POLITICAL REFERENCE

The Chandigarh mayoral polls marked the beginning of the INDIA alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with AAP and Congress coming together against the BJP.

However, growing clashes and accusations between the two parties eventually led to their breakup.

This time, AAP demanded the mayor’s post, citing its rule in Punjab and claiming it had sacrificed the Chandigarh MP seat for Congress.

Congress, on the other hand, insisted on the mayor’s post as it has the sitting MP in Chandigarh.

The split ended their cooperation. After BJP’s Saurav Joshi became mayor, the BJP also won deputy and senior deputy mayor posts.

Joshi told India Today his win was due to 14 years of hard work and promised to work for the city.