Congress, AAP to fight mayoral elections together: Tewari

MP Manish Tewari today said the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will again contest the mayoral elections together and the candidates will be decided in the next few days.

Addressing a press conference here, Tewari urged the UT Administration to hold the mayoral polls on February 20, as the incumbent Mayor had assumed the office on the same date this year. The post is reserved for a woman candidate in the year 2025.

Tewari stated that every resident of Chandigarh was upset at what happened during the last Mayoral elections when the BJP tried to steal the mandate of the councillors. The Supreme Court had to intervene to install the Congress-AAP candidate as the Mayor, who had a comfortable majority in the MC House. Tewari urged the UT Administrator to give approval to a House resolution providing for a show of hands in place of secret voting, before the next mayoral elections are notified.

Last year, the Congress and AAP had contested the elections together. While AAP secured the post of Mayor, the Congress had their candidates on the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The alliance unseated the BJP from the post of Mayor after eight years.

On the controversy surrounding the privatisation of the Electricity Department, Tewari said in principle, he was against the privatisation of government bodies. He said the Congress in the city was spearheading the protest against the decision of the Administration to hand over the power transmission to a private company.

Tewari also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for making derogatory remarks against Baba Sahib Bhim Rao Ambedkar. He demanded that Shah must apologise for his uncalled for remarks made against the maker of the remarkable Constitution whom Indians hold in high esteem. The MP said the Constitution not only helped India consolidate politically, but also made strong provisions to bring equality in a badly fragmented society clearing the way to usher in the social and economic justice in the country.

City Congress chief HS Lucky said senior leaders of the alliance partners would soon decide on the candidates for the three mayoral posts.