Chandigarh mayoral poll voting first indication of SAD-BJP tie-up

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, February 11

While a tie-up between AAP and the Congress under the INDIA bloc could not be stitched for the city Lok Sabha seat, a patch-up between the BJP and the SAD is likely, which will impact the outcome of the coming parliamentary election here.

There were indications to the patch-up after the lone SAD councillor voted for the ruling BJP in the recent mayoral polls. Besides, talks between the senior leadership of the two parties are also on.

The SAD had boycotted the mayoral polls for the past two years, but this time it chose to vote for the BJP’s candidates for all three posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, in what seemed to have broken ice between the two former allies. The BJP had won the polls amid allegations of rigging by the presiding officer.

“The talks for an alliance between the two parties started after we decided to vote for the BJP in the mayoral polls. One of the three top BJP leaders called up our senior party leader in Punjab for seeking the vote,” said Hardeep Singh, city SAD president and lone party councillor.

City BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra, however, said, “The mayoral poll arrangement is a separate issue. However, talks for an alliance are on at the high command level.” Former BJP president Arun Sood said, “An alliance is very likely to happen. It will benefit both parties as they have their own vote base.”

The two parties had broken up in 2020 amid protests against the three farm laws. The parties, which had traditionally contested the MC elections together, fought the election separately in 2020. The ruling party had won 12 seats while the SAD, which had an alliance with the BSP, could win only one. Even in the 2016 MC elections, the BJP had won 20 seats while the Akalis could win only one seat.

For the city Lok Sabha seat, the BJP has been fielding its own candidate with support from the SAD.

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