Thu Jan 30 04:25:28 UTC 2025: **Chandigarh BJP Wins Mayor’s Race Despite Opposition’s Numerical Advantage**

Chandigarh, India (January 30, 2025) – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a surprise victory in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (CMC) mayoral election today, with BJP candidate Harpreet Kaur Babla winning 19 votes against the AAP-Congress joint candidate, Prem Lata, who received 17. This win is significant as the AAP-Congress alliance held a numerical advantage in the 35-member house, possessing 20 votes including the Congress MP’s vote.

The unexpected result is attributed to apparent cross-voting within the AAP-Congress ranks. The election, held via secret ballot under High Court supervision and videography, saw the BJP candidate overcome the seemingly insurmountable numerical disadvantage.

The mayoral position, reserved for women, was hotly contested. The BJP holds 16 seats, while the combined AAP-Congress strength was 19, plus one ex-officio vote from the Congress MP. This election follows the 2024 mayoral election, which saw the Supreme Court overturn the BJP’s win after irregularities were discovered. The previous presiding officer was caught on camera invalidating votes in favor of the AAP-Congress alliance.

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