AAP, Congress to contest Chandigarh mayoral polls together

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress on Monday announced that they will contest the mayoral elections in Chandigarh together.

The two parties are constituents of the Opposition INDIA bloc that has been formed to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections.

The two parties are negotiating a seat-sharing plan for Delhi and Punjab for the general elections. However, in both places, they have been rivals. In Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party is in power, the Congress is the main Opposition party.

On Thursday, 35 councillors of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation will vote in the polls to elect a mayor and deputy mayors.

The BJP has 14 councillors. Additionally, the Chandigarh Lok Sabha MP is an ex-officio member with voting rights. The current MP is BJP’s Kirron Kher.

The Aam Aadmi Party has 13 councillors. The Congress has seven councillors. The Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor. Eighteen votes are needed for a majority.

As per the agreement between the two parties, the Aam Aadmi Party will contest the post of mayor, Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal said. The Congress will contest for the post of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.

“Congress and [AAP] in Chandigarh have become the first constituents of Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance parties to implement the decisions and sentiments of INDIA to not let BJP win elections by default,” Bansal said in a social media post. “…and together we will win all the three positions, thus heralding the end of BJP’s anti-democracy rule in the country.”

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha had met Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Saturday.

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