The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a sharp attack on the BJP, for the widespread dishonesty in the Chandigarh Mayor election. AAP National Convenor and Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal systematically disclosed this. The AAP National Convenor stated that through blatant dishonesty, the BJP won the Mayor election. This hooliganism is extremely dangerous for the country’s democracy. If they can stoop so low in a mayoral election, they can go to any extent in the country’s elections. This is very alarming. He pointed out that 76 years ago, on January 30, Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence, was assassinated, and today, on the same day, they have murdered democracy. He said that their intention was bad from the beginning. Upon announcing the elections, they appointed their party’s office bearer as the presiding officer, who deliberately marked 8 out of our 20 votes as invalid. Urging the citizens, he said that if this hooliganism is not stopped, it will prove extremely dangerous for the country in the times to come.
After BJP manipulated the Chandigarh Mayoral election to seize the mayor’s chair. AAP’ National Convenor Shri Arvind Kejriwal held a press conference at the party headquarters. He stated, “On 30th January, 76 years ago the ambassador of peace and non-violence, Gandhiji was murdered. And today they have murdered democracy in the country, it’s a ‘black day, for democracy. Fortunately, their acts of hooliganism and dishonesty have been captured on the cameras. Now, the entire country is witnessing openly how forcibly they committed robbery of votes to elect their Mayor in Chandigarh.”
“The issue is not which party’s Mayor should be elected, wins and loses are part of elections. Sometimes they win, sometimes we win. The country and its democracy shouldn’t lose. Parties, leaders, and mayors come and go. The mayor is not that important, but democracy is. The issue is not that AAP’s Mayor was supposed to be elected and the INDIA Alliance was to win, but is the way they have resorted to hooliganism, dishonesty, and daylight robbery of votes to win the Chandigarh mayoral elections,” he added.
The AAP National Convenor continued, “If today the people of the country are not going to stop them from doing this collectively, then it can become gravely dangerous for the country in future. Two years ago Chandigarh’s municipality elections took place. The AAP has 13 councilors, Congress 7, the BJP has 15 councilors, and ‘Akali Dal’ has 1 councilor who is siding with them. Earlier the AAP and Congress used to contest separately, so for the last two years they had their Mayors and Deputy Mayors. This time, the AAP and Congress came together under the INDIA Alliance, and it’s a plain calculation that we had 20 now, and they had 16 only.”
Shri Arvind Kejriwal mentioned that their intentions were bad from the beginning. Initially, they appointed their (BJP’s) office bearer as the Presiding Officer. Subsequently, the date for the Mayor’s election was set for January 18, 2024. On election day, the Presiding Officer claimed illness, went to the hospital, and ultimately postponed the election. We went to court and got a date set by the court. During this time, they made extensive efforts to influence and intimidate councilors of the AAP and Congress, as they do throughout the country. Despite their nature and attempts everywhere, none of our councilors broke, and the Mayor’s election took place on Tuesday (30), despite the court’s directions, they engaged in misconduct.
The AAP National Convenor conveyed that whether it’s a state or national election when the vote count happens, the machine number is displayed. After that, it shows how many votes each party received, and agents of all parties observe this. In the mayoral election, as per the law, each party’s agent should be present. Similar to Delhi’s mayoral election using a ballot paper, agents sit during the counting, and each vote is shown to them. If any agent disputes a vote as invalid, it is shown to all agents. All agents present their arguments, and the Presiding Officer makes a ruling on that vote.
“In the Chandigarh Mayor election, the Presiding Officer appointed by the BJP didn’t let any agent come close. The Presiding Officer cleared all agents, took all votes, and sat inside a closed room. Inside the closed room, it is apparent how the Presiding Officer is manipulating the votes of the INDIA Alliance by marking them as invalid. If two marks are made, the vote becomes invalid. The Presiding Officer is marking and declaring votes invalid, signing below. Out of the total 36 votes, 20 belonged to the INDIA Alliance, and 16 to the BJP. The BJP’s 16 votes were counted, but the Presiding Officer declared 8 votes of the INDIA Alliance as invalid. In this way, 25% of the votes were declared invalid,” he said.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal shared, “Last year during the mayoral election, an AAP vote was also declared invalid. It’s not that our councilors don’t know how to vote; they do. How did it happen this time that all our councilors forgot to vote, and all votes became invalid? These people came with the intention of hooliganism. Fortunately, everything was caught on camera inside the room. It’s intriguing that on the eve of the Chandigarh Mayor election, the administration issued an order restricting media entry. This order indicates from the beginning that their intentions were malicious and aimed at causing mischief.”
The AAP National Convenor expressed that in the history of Chandigarh Mayor elections, votes have never been declared invalid at such a large scale. If these people manipulate on a mere count of 36 votes, where the national election involves 90 crore votes, one can’t fathom the extent of their manipulation. Even a 5-6% discrepancy in votes during the national elections can significantly impact the results. The Chandigarh Mayor election reveals how far these people can go to win elections and gain power.
“People are saying that there are discrepancies in EVMs in major elections. I believe these people will do anything to gain power. They might manipulate the voter list, induce fake voting, and manipulate EVMs. Even if they lose despite such actions, they won’t relinquish power like Trump. They will cling to the chair, even if martial law has to be imposed in the country. This situation is very dangerous for the entire nation. I appeal to everyone who loves their country to unite against this hooliganism and stop it at any cost. Because those who resort to hooliganism to come to power will create chaos in your city. Those who contest elections honestly and win will bring honesty to governance,” Shri Arvind Kejriwal concluded.
After the Chandigarh Mayoral Election’s results, AAP National Convenor Shri Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “By resorting to dishonesty, BJP has won the Chandigarh Mayor election in broad daylight. This hooliganism is extremely dangerous for the country’s democracy. The way dishonesty has been done in the Chandigarh Mayor election is highly alarming. If they can stoop so low in a mayoral election, they can go to any extent in the country’s elections. This is very alarming.”
