CHANDIGARH, April 1: Nearly two months after internal rifts in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress led to cross-voting that helped BJP’s Harpreet Kaur Babla win the mayoral election, the city Congress unit on Tuesday formed a fact-finding committee to identify those responsible.
AAP is also expected to announce a similar panel soon, party insiders said.
Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) president HS Lucky said the committee will investigate the cross-voting, speak to concerned individuals, and submit a report. It includes city Congress vice-presidents Jatinder Bhatia and Pawan Sharma, along with senior leader NK Nanda. Achhe Lal Gaur, CPCC’s general secretary (organization), will oversee the meetings.
“Though internal inquiries were conducted earlier, both parties have now officially formed committees to identify the black sheep. Strict action will be taken against defectors to prevent further instability before elections,” Lucky said.
Despite having a numerical edge, the AAP-Congress alliance struggled with internal divisions, allowing the BJP to capitalize. The INDIA bloc held 20 votes—13 from AAP, six from Congress, and MP Manish Tewari’s ex-officio vote—but three cross-votes within the alliance secured Babla’s 19-17 victory over Prem Lata in the January 30 mayoral polls.
