Chandigarh: 20 days after jumping ship, 2 turncoats return to AAP from BJP

Just two days before the election of the finance and contracts committee (F&CC) of the Chandigarh municipal corporation, the INDIA bloc (AAP and Congress) got a shot in the arm as two turncoats —Neha Musavat and Poonam Sandeep Kumar— rejoined the Aam Aadmi Party, 20 days after joining the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).
With this, the INDIA bloc’s strength in MC House has climbed to 19, with AAP now having 12 councillors and Congress 7.
AAP’s Chandigarh co-incharge SS Ahluwalia said, “The strength will help us in F&CC elections and Lok Sabha polls. The only setback we had was losing them (the two councillors) in the senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor elections.”
On their rejoining, Ahluwalia said, “The daughters were always ours. This is not re-joining but ghar vapsi (homecoming).”
Councillors Neha Musawat and Poonam Kumari said in a joint statement that they had joined the BJP after getting misled, hence decided to join the AAP again.
“In the coming days, we will solve the problems of the citizens of Chandigarh municipal corporation on priority basis and will keep working for the welfare of Chandigarh residents at all times,” they said.
BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra remained unavailable for comments.
The two councillors, along with Gurcharan Singh Kala, had jumped ship to the BJP on February 18, to turn tables in favour of the saffron party, which was hoping that Supreme Court orders a repoll for the mayoral post following the vote-tampering fiasco.
The SC, however, declared the AAP candidate Kuldeep Dhalor the mayor while observing that the presiding officer, Anil Masih, a BJP supporter, had deliberately attempted to deface eight ballots polled in favour of the Dhalor to declare Manoj Sonkar as the winning candidate.
The apex court, however, ordered a repoll for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. Reduced to a strength 17 by then (after the defection of three AAP councillor to BJP), the INDIA bloc lost both seats to the BJP.
Big boost ahead of F&CC polls
The development comes as a big boost for the INDIA bloc (AAP and Congress) ahead of the F&CC polls, scheduled for March 11. Five members are to be elected to the F&CC, which is the second-most powerful committee of the MC, holding the power to approve projects and developmental works worth ₹50 lakh.
For every seven councillors, a party can nominate one member to contest the elections. Though earlier, the cards seemed to be in BJP’s favour in the 35-member MC House, INDIA bloc will get 19 votes pit of the total 36, whereas BJP will get 17 votes, including that of MP Kirron Kher, the ex-officio member of the house, and the lone SAD councillor, who had favoured the saffron party during the elections of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
BJP struck on no-confidence motion against mayor
BJP councillors, who were repeatedly asking mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor, who owes allegiance to AAP, to resign from the post due to inadequate number in support, are now struck with the idea to call a no-confidence motion against the mayor.
A no-confidence motion can be passed with a two-thirds majority. If all 36 members (35 councillors and the ex-officio member, i.e. MP) are present in the House, then the BJP needs, at least, 24 votes to bring a no-confidence motion.
With BJP having 19 votes till Friday, the party was in talks with Congress councillors to support no-confidence motion against Dhalor.