In New Delhi today, the Supreme Court will scrutinize the ballot papers used in the Chandigarh mayoral election and review video footage of the counting process amidst apprehensions regarding potential “horse-trading” and the controversial victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Manoj Sonkar of the BJP emerged victorious in the election with 16 votes, surpassing Kuldeep Kumar, the candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party-Congress alliance, who secured 12 votes. However, controversy ensued when Anil Masih, the returning officer, invalidated eight votes from the coalition, leading to accusations of ballot manipulation. A widely circulated video depicted Mr. Masih, a member of the BJP’s minority cell, marking ballots cast for AAP councilors. During a hearing on February 5th, the Supreme Court strongly condemned his actions as a flagrant “mockery of democracy.”
Expressing grave concern over the alleged “horse-trading,” a Supreme Court panel led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, opted to scrutinize the ballot papers and video recordings of the vote-counting process. Rather than immediately calling for fresh elections, the court suggested exploring the possibility of declaring results based on the existing votes.
Furthermore, the court has summoned the registrar general of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to present relevant records in New Delhi today.
