Chandigarh mayoral poll returning officer goes incommunicado

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, February 8

Following Supreme Court’s observations on the conduct of the Chandigarh mayoral poll on January 30, the presiding officer of the election, Anil Masih, has gone incommunicado.

Repeated attempts to contact him on his phone did not elicit any response. However, he had spoken to the media the day results were out when he was accused of invalidating eight votes to help the BJP win. While rubbishing all allegations against him, he had instead accused the Opposition councillors of making a booth capturing attempt. Masih had alleged they also tore ballot papers and were trying to run away with them, but were stopped by marshals.

Anil Masih not feeling well: Councillor

He (Masih) is lying low and not speaking to the media. He spoke to me to discuss dvelopments in this case. He is also not feeling well. — BJP councillor

For the past few days, he has gone silent and is avoiding calls from mediapersons. Masih, who is putting up on the PEC campus where his wife works, works with a private company.

“He is lying low and not speaking to the media. He spoke to me to discuss developments in this case. He is also not feeling well,” said a BJP councillor.

Masih was earlier reported to be unwell following which the mayoral election, originally scheduled to be held on January 18, was dramatically postponed about an hour before the polling was to start. It was finally held on January 30 on the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order.

Terming the alleged defacing of ballot papers in the election by him as the “murder of democracy”, the apex court had on Monday asked him to appear before it on February 19 to explain his conduct.

“Is this the behaviour of a returning officer? He looks at the camera and defaces the ballot and obviously, where there is a cross at the bottom, he just keeps it in the tray. The moment there is a cross at the top, the man defaces the ballot and then looks at the camera to see who’s looking at him,” the CJI had said.

Association with BJP

Masih was appointed as nominated councillor among nine others by UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit in 2022. Then, he was the general secretary of the city BJP’s minority morcha. However, after new city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra took over, all party committees were dissolved. He was appointed the presiding officer of the mayoral election by the UT Deputy Commissioner.

Masih has been regular in the party’s activities and even at the recent joining of other councillors in the BJP. According to city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra, “Masih is currently not holding any post in the minority morcha. He attends party events as he is also involved in social works.”

Amit Jindal, who was the presiding officer during the last mayoral poll, is the general secretary of the city party unit.