The Chandigarh municipal corporation elections took a new turn on Tuesday as the city administration rescheduled the polls for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor to March 4th.The fresh notification came after the Punjab and Haryana High Court heard pleas filed by two Congress councillors challenging the previous February 27th date set unilaterally by the deputy commissioner.Earlier that day, BJP councillors had arrived at the municipal corporation office expecting the polls to take place. However, Congress and AAP councillors, including mayor Kuldeep Dhalor, did not show up in protest.Despite the Supreme Court ruling last week that affirmed the Congress-AAP coalition candidate as mayor, the alliance does not hold a majority in the House. Of 36 votes, BJP has 19 and Congress-AAP has 17.In their pleas, Congress candidates for senior deputy and deputy mayor, Gurpreet Gabi and Nirmala Devi, argued the deputy commissioner lacked authority to convene the election meeting. They claimed only the mayor could do so in consultation with other parties.During the first hearing, the UT administration agreed to issue a fresh notification to address concerns. When the case resumed in the afternoon, the UT informed the court of the new March 4th date.The legal wrangling reflects the ongoing power tussle ever since the mayoral election delivered a split verdict. With the polls delayed once again, political uncertainty looms large over the Chandigarh municipal corporation.
