Chandigarh :
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has officially broken its alliance with the Congress ahead of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation mayoral election scheduled for January 29. The decision follows tensions between the two parties and past election setbacks, with AAP alleging that Congress had secretly aligned with the BJP in earlier polls, resulting in cross-voting and the loss of AAP’s mayoral candidates.
In the 2022 elections, AAP’s mayoral candidate lost due to cross-voting, while Congress secured the Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts, fueling mistrust and prompting the alliance’s end. Chandigarh AAP in-charge Jarnail Singh recently posted a photo of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, accusing Congress of secretly partnering with BJP.
The mayoral election this time will be conducted by a show-of-hands vote among 35 councillors, including the ex-officio vote of Congress MP Manish Tewari, eliminating the possibility of cross-voting. Analysts say this virtually ensures BJP’s win for all three key posts: Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayor.
Factors behind AAP’s decision include:
Fear of Defections: Two AAP councillors recently joined BJP, and three others were reportedly dissatisfied.
Mohali Municipal Elections: Alliance with Congress in Chandigarh could complicate campaigning in nearby Mohali.
Punjab Assembly Elections 2027: Congress remains AAP’s main rival in Punjab, making local alliance politically contradictory.
Congress Contesting Alone: Congress had already announced it would contest independently in municipal polls.
The history of Chandigarh mayoral polls shows repeated cross-voting controversies:
2022: BJP’s Sarabjit Kaur won by 1 vote over AAP’s Anju Katyal due to cross-voting.
2023: BJP narrowly won despite opposition’s numerical strength.
2024: The mayoral seat changed hands twice after legal interventions.
2025: BJP’s Harpreet Kaur Babla defeated AAP-Congress candidate despite their majority, again due to cross-voting.
Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra expressed confidence in a clean victory, stating the party is focused on organisational preparation and closely monitoring the political scenario in the city.
With alliances fractured and cross-voting eliminated, BJP is strongly positioned to secure all three key posts in the upcoming Chandigarh mayoral elections.
