HC seeks administration's response on AAP's plea for fresh mayoral polls

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation on the AAP's petition seeking fresh elections under the supervision of a retired HC judge.

The court gave the respondents three weeks to file their replies in the matter.

The BJP swept the Chandigarh mayoral polls on Tuesday in a shock defeat for the Aam Aadmi Party-Congress alliance, which alleged foul play and moved the high court seeking fresh elections.

The petition was filed by AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar, who was the candidate for the post of mayor, against the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and the Union Territory administration, among others.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, the petitioner's counsel Gurminder Singh said the court has given three weeks to the Chandigarh administration, the municipal corporation, and others to file their replies.

Senior standing counsel Anil Mehta said the court did not give any interim relief to the petitioner.

In the plea, Kumar has sought to set aside the process of the election of the mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, alleging "complete fraud and forgery".

He has also sought instructions to restrain the newly elected mayor from discharging the functions of the mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, saying the entire process of election was "vitiated by fraud".

The Congress and the AAP had predicted an easy victory in the 35-member House of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, projecting it as an early test for the INDIA bloc. But the BJP retained all three top posts for which elections were held.

Opposition councillors alleged tampering with the ballot papers by presiding officer Anil Masih, a charge rejected by him and the BJP.