Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, acknowledging the court’s role in preserving democracy amidst challenging circumstances, particularly in the context of the Chandigarh mayoral polls case.
The Supreme Court has announced its decision to order a recount of votes in the contentious elections and the declaration of results, taking into consideration the eight “defaced” ballots that were earlier invalidated by the returning officer.
In a post on X, Kejriwal stated, “Thank you SC for saving democracy in these difficult times.”
The BJP emerged victorious in the Chandigarh mayoral polls on January 30, defeating the AAP-Congress alliance candidate comfortably. The controversy arose when the returning officer declared eight votes from the coalition partners as invalid, leading to accusations of ballot tampering.
Following the election, BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar secured the mayor’s post by garnering 16 votes against his rival Kuldeep Kumar’s 12. However, Sonkar subsequently resigned, and three AAP councillors defected to the BJP.
