New Delhi, Feb 20 (UNI) Aam Aadmi Party’s Kuldeep Kumar on Tuesday validly elected as the Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold eight votes that were rejected by the presiding officer.
Addressing the media, Aam Aadmi Party convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal extended gratitude to the Supreme Court for its decision on Chandigarh Mayor elections stating, “Truth may be troubled but not defeated. The Constitution and democracy ultimately won the Chandigarh Mayor election.”
This has happened for the first time in India’s history, he said adding, “The Supreme Court’s decision at a time when dictatorship is prevalent across the country, democracy and all institutions are being trampled, holds immense significance for safeguarding democracy.”
Referring to it as the first and massive victory of the INDIA bloc, he said, “We have snatched victory from them. They had stolen the vote but we fought and won. Those who say that BJP can’t be defeated – BJP can be defeated with unity, with good planning and strategy and hard work. These results prove the same, he added.
Kejriwal further congratulated Kumar on becoming the Mayor of Chandigarh. In a social media post, Kejriwal said, “Kuldeep Kumar is a boy from a poor family. On behalf of the INDIA alliance, many congratulations on becoming the Mayor of Chandigarh.”
“This became possible only because of Indian democracy and the honourable Supreme Court. We have to preserve the impartiality of our democracy and autonomous institutions at any cost,” he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the mayor election in Chandigarh stating, “At last the truth has prevailed. They have got a befitting reply to the hooliganism openly committed by BJP.”
Meanwhile, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that the biggest political party of the country, BJP, was seen doing malpractices on camera during a mayoral election. Supreme Court has exposed the central government in this matter, he said while addressing the media.
‘The Supreme Court today examined the eight defaced ballot papers of the Chandigarh Mayor poll and video recording of the counting process following the contentious victory of the BJP and ordered to treat the eight invalidated ballots as valid.”
