Chandigarh, 30 January 2025: Harpreet Kaur Babla of the BJP secured victory in the Chandigarh mayoral election after receiving 19 votes, defeating AAP’s Prem Lata, who garnered 17. The result, announced after a secret ballot vote on Thursday, was met with allegations of cross-voting within the opposition ranks.
This year, the mayoral seat was reserved for women, with the election shaping up as a direct contest between the BJP and the AAP-Congress alliance.
The alliance, which holds 19 seats in the 35-member House—including 13 from AAP and six from Congress—was also banking on the support of its ex-officio member, MP Manish Tewari, which should have taken its total to 20. However, the final count fell short, indicating defections.
The BJP, which has 16 councillors, was relying on cross-voting or defections to reach the majority mark. Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat had already switched to the BJP ahead of the polls, strengthening the party’s position.
Voting commenced at 11 a.m. through a secret ballot, with the final tally confirming that at least three opposition councillors had cast their votes in favor of the BJP.
