'Opposition councillors wanted ballots change': Chandigarh mayoral polls officer

The Chandigarh mayoral election on Tuesday was marred by controversy as opposition parties accused the BJP of foul play. Presiding Officer Anil Masih, at the centre of the row following allegations of ballot tampering, defended his actions during the vote count, claiming that members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress had requested the replacement of 11 ballots due to marks and spots.

“A total of 36 votes were cast. When we were issuing the ballot papers, a few AAP and Congress Councillors were concerned that the papers had spots and marks - so, they asked me to change around 11 ballot papers,” Masih told news agency ANI. “I honoured their request and kept the ballot papers in question on the side and issued them fresh ballot papers.”

According to Masih, chaos erupted when the results were about to be announced. BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar received 16 votes, AAP's Kuldeep Kumar garnered 12, and eight votes were declared invalid. Masih alleged that instead of verifying the ballots, AAP and some Congress councillors caused disruptions.

“I asked the polling agent of AAP-Congress candidate to check the ballot paper but instead of doing that AAP and a few Congress councillors jumped on the table to disrupt the process, captured the ballot papers and tore them upâ€æ AAP and Congress hatched a conspiracy to derail the election process,” he claimed.

The BJP emerged victorious in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, securing the top three positions and dealing a significant blow to the AAP and Congress alliance, which contested the elections together under the INDIA bloc banner.

Opposition councillors claimed ballot tampering after the invalidation of eight votes, with AAP citing video evidence allegedly showing Masih marking ballots. The BJP rubbished the allegations.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha called for legal action against Masih and the filing of a criminal case. The party also petitioned the Punjab and Haryana High Court to annul the results and conduct fresh elections overseen by a retired judge.

Leaders from various opposition parties, including the Congress, AAP, and Samajwadi Party, united in their criticism of the BJP, which they alleged was "killing" democracy and "disregarding Constitutional propriety".