Chandigarh: BJP’s Manoj Sonkar, who became mayor in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections, has resigned on Sunday night. There were allegations of rigging in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections held on January 30. This resignation of Manoj Sonkar has come just before the hearing of this case in the Supreme Court on Monday.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party Chandigarh councilors Poonam Devi, Neha Musawat, Gurcharan Kala have joined BJP under the leadership of former Chandigarh BJP president Arun Sood. At the same time, two Congress councilors are also in touch with BJP.
Presiding Officer Anil Masih also has to appear in the hearing to be held in the Supreme Court today.The video of the presiding officer in the Mayor elections had gone viral, in which he was seen marking the votes of councilors who had allegedly declared them illegal.
Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had contested the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections in alliance.Aam Aadmi Party had gone to the Supreme Court against this rigging, after which the court reprimanded the Chandigarh administration and fixed the next hearing of the case on February 19.Mayor Sonkar has resigned from his post just before the hearing in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had issued a strong rebuke
The Supreme Court had said that what happened during the Chandigarh Mayor elections was a mockery of democracy and said that we will not allow democracy to be murdered like this.A three-judge bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud had asked presiding officer Anil Masih to appear on the next date of hearing, February 19.
Making a scathing comment on the Chandigarh Mayor election, the Supreme Court said, “Tell your election officer that the Supreme Court is keeping an eye on you. We will not allow democracy to be murdered in this manner. If there is any system to strengthen democracy in this country, If so, that is an election.”
