BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar on Tuesday won the post of mayor defeating AAP’s Kuldeep Dhalor Tita, the candidate of the INDIA alliance AAP-Congress combine.

The victory came after a high drama was witnessed at the Chandigarh municipal corporation House as the opposition accused the presiding officer, Anil Masih, of tampering with the polled votes.

While the BJP polled 16 votes, the INDIA alliance got 12 votes after 8 votes were declared invalid. Opposition councillors protested as soon as the results were announced.

The proceedings began at 10:40 am after deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh arrived at the MC office. 

Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher, who has voting rights as an ex-officio member of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, was the first to cast vote. She voted around 11:15 am at the building of the civic body.

The elections for the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor were earlier scheduled to be held on January 18, but were postponed at the eleventh hour in a dramatic manner, owing to ill health of presiding authority Anil Masih.

This article was first published in The Tribune, India.