Just a few weeks after making the switch to the BJP, two municipal councilors in Chandigarh, Poonam Devi and Neha Musavat, reversed their decision and returned to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday. Initially, Devi and Musavat had left the AAP to join the BJP, but their tenure with the BJP lasted less than a month before they decided to rejoin the AAP. Their re-entry into the AAP fold was marked by an event attended by Sunny Ahluwalia, the party's co-incharge.
This move increases the AAP's representation in the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation to 12 members, while the BJP's count decreases to 15. Meanwhile, the Congress holds seven seats, and the Akali Dal has one councilor.
The transition of the three AAP councilors to the BJP coincided with the resignation of BJP's Manoj Sonkar from the position of Chandigarh Mayor, amidst accusations of electoral irregularities and misconduct. Musawat criticized the AAP during the transition, branding it a "fake party" and accusing it of making false assurances.
Following subsequent legal proceedings, the Supreme Court intervened, annulling the outcome of the mayoral elections in Chandigarh and declaring AAP's candidate, Kuldeep Kumar, as the legitimate winner. The court's decision overturned the disqualification of eight ballots, which were initially invalidated by Returning Officer Anil Masih but were later deemed valid and cast in favor of Kumar.
In recent developments, the BJP secured victory in the re-elections for the positions of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, defeating Congress candidates who enjoyed support from the AAP.
