The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a decisive victory in the Chandigarh mayoral elections on Thursday, with Saurabh Joshi elected as the city’s 29th Mayor, as the AAP–Congress alliance failed to hold together.
Joshi secured 18 votes to clinch the mayoral post, defeating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Yogesh Dhingra, who polled 11 votes, and Congress nominee Gurpreet Singh Gabi, who managed seven. The election was conducted by a show of hands instead of a secret ballot, in line with administrative directions aimed at ensuring transparency.
The BJP also retained control over the remaining key posts. Jasmanpreet Singh was elected Senior Deputy Mayor with 18 votes, while AAP’s Munawar Khan received 11. Congress candidate Sachin Galav drew no votes after Congress councillors walked out during the voting.
Continuing the party’s clean sweep, BJP’s Suman Sharma won the Deputy Mayor’s post, securing 18 votes against AAP candidate Jaswinder Kaur, who polled 11.
The contest for the Deputy Mayor’s position was initially expected to be multi-cornered but narrowed after Independent candidate and AAP rebel Ramchandra Yadav withdrew his nomination. Congress councillors were also absent from the House during the vote.
The results marked a significant setback for opposition unity in the Union Territory. Although AAP and the Congress had fought the last two municipal elections together, contesting separately this time split the opposition vote and handed the BJP a clear numerical advantage in the 36-member House.
Speaking after his victory, Saurabh Joshi attributed his win to the values instilled by his late father and the support of residents from his ward. “My father always believed that walking the path of truth leads to success. I will work towards building a developed Chandigarh with the support of the youth and senior citizens,” he said.
The elections were held under strict security at the Municipal Corporation building in Sector 17, with duty magistrates and a multi-layered police deployment in place to ensure smooth proceedings.