Ahead of the Chandigarh Mayor election, in a jolt to the Congress, its leader and Municipal Corporation ward number 27 councillor Gurbax Rawat joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaving the Congress with only six councillors. With the Congress councillor switching sides, the BJP's strength in the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has now increased to 16.
Rawat joined the BJP in the presence of Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra and senior party leader Sanjay Tandon at party's office Kamalam in Chandigarh's Sector 33.
The Supreme Court on Monday appointed former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Jaishree Thakur as independent observer for Chandigarh Mayoral polls scheduled to be held on January 30.
Rawat said she joined the BJP after being impressed by the policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre.
She alleged that last year under the tenure of mayor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an ally of Congress in Chandigarh, the development of the city came to a halt. Apart from "false" promises, nothing has been delivered, she claimed.
The residents of the city are "suffering due to their wrong policies and empty promises", she further said. "Given these circumstances, it has become clear that the city's development is only possible under the BJP," said Rawat.
On this occasion, Malhotra said that the BJP functions like a family where every worker is given due respect and recognition, and Rawat will also receive the same.
The polls to the posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor are scheduled to be held on January 30.
The Congress will be left with six councillors while its ally Aam Aadmi Party has a strength of 13 councillors. Besides, the Chandigarh MP also has voting rights as an ex-officio member of municipal corporation.
The sitting MP is Manish Tewari of the Congress. The AAP and Congress are contesting the mayoral polls in alliance. AAP's Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor is incumbent mayor of Chandigarh.
(With PTI inputs)