Chandigarh, January 2

The elections to the post of Chandigarh Mayor will be held on January 17, said acting Deputy Commissioner Yashpal Garg today. A three-cornered contest is expected this time, as the Congress had abstained from polling the last time.

Top post not reserved

Mayor’s post is not reserved this time, unlike last year (for woman)
1-year term of BJP Mayor Sarbjit Kaur comes to an end this week

As many as 35 elected councillors and an ex-officio member i.e. the local MP will be eligible to vote and elect the next Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor through a secret ballot at 11 am on January 17 in the 36-member MC House. Nominated councillor Amit Jindal will be the presiding officer.

The candidates have to file their nomination papers for the three posts by January 12. This time, the post of Mayor is not reserved. Last year, it was reserved for a woman candidate. The one-year tenure of the current Mayor, Sarbjit Kaur, comes to an end this week, but she will hold on to the position till the time the new one takes over.

In the last elections, unruly scenes were witnessed as the AAP had accused the BJP of winning the polls fraudulently. AAP councillors had tried to prevent the new Mayor from addressing the House, prompting BJP councillors to surround her chair. Later, both were marshalled out.