“Arvind Kejriwal Draws Parallel Between Chandigarh Poll Rigging and Pakistan Elections, Criticizes BJP”
On Wednesday, Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, denounced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its involvement in the alleged rigging of the Chandigarh mayoral elections. Kejriwal drew parallels to similar incidents observed during Pakistan’s national elections, asserting that the BJP had manipulated the ballots to ensure victory for a candidate who was initially trailing by a substantial margin.
Arvind Kejriwal made his statement the day after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the AAP in the Chandigarh Mayoral poll case. He welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that it marked a significant victory for the INDIA bloc and emphasized the potential for defeating the BJP through careful planning and strategy. Kejriwal hailed the judgement as a win for democracy.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, reversed the ruling made by Returning Officer Anil Masih, who declared BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar as Chandigarh Mayor last month. The Supreme Court’s decision was based on the revelation that the Returning Officer intentionally invalidated eight ballots cast in favor of Kuldeep Kumar, the joint candidate of AAP-Congress.
On Monday, Masih explained to the bench that he had marked the ballot papers because they were already defaced, intending to prevent them from being mistakenly mixed with other ballots. Despite his attempt to justify his actions on Tuesday, the court remained unconvinced.
Personally examining the ballots, the Chief Justice confirmed their validity and ruled in favor of Kuldeep Kumar, declaring him the winner of the mayoral polls. Additionally, the top court emphasized the need for the returning officer to be prosecuted for his misconduct.
Leaders from opposition parties embraced the verdict positively. The decision served as a morale boost for the INDIA bloc parties, which had faced uncertainty regarding seat-sharing arrangements leading up to the Lok Sabha polls.