The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking the appointment of a new presiding officer to replace Anil Masih, who “fell sick,” leading to the postponement of the Chandigarh mayoral polls.
The mayoral elections, originally scheduled for Thursday, were deferred until further notice due to the illness of presiding officer Masih, as asserted by several municipal councillors from the Congress and AAP. They referenced a message from municipal authorities to support their claim.
The petition was filed by AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar, the mayoral candidate, seeking the court’s intervention in conducting the delayed mayoral polls. Both Congress and AAP leaders criticized the BJP, accusing it of preventing the mayoral elections to avoid an “imminent defeat.”
Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal also stated that they had been informed about the cancellation of elections on Thursday due to the presiding officer’s illness. Bansal alleged that the BJP hindered the polls to evade an anticipated loss.
The scheduled meeting for polling for the mayor, senior deputy mayor, and deputy mayor positions through a secret ballot was supposed to take place at 11 am in the assembly hall of the municipal corporation.
