Chandigarh Mayoral Election: How numbers can skew against AAP Mayor Kuldeep Kumar

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Kuldeep Kumar was declared the winner of the Chandigarh Mayor election by the Supreme Court on January 20 with party chief Arvind Kejriwal thanking the top court for "saving democracy in these difficult times." Yet, it is not going to be easy for AAP-Congress alliance to prove majority in the Municipal Corporation given the numbers in the house.

As things stand the (BJP) has 17 Councilors in the 36-member civic body. This includes 14 votes that the saffron party won in the January 30 elections and three AAP defectors who joined the party before Wednesday's SC hearing.

The AAP-Congress alliance which contested the Mayor election jointly won 12 votes, as declared on January 30. Eight votes, declared invalid earlier, are not counted in favour of the alliance taking the total number to 20 votes, as declared by the on Tuesday based on January 30 results. But three AAP defections have left AAP-Congress alliance votes in the house to 17.

The BJP can also count its Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher, the ex-officio member of the corporation, and the sole Akali Dal councilor on its side. So BJP's 19 votes might skew against AAP-Congress Mayor 's 17 in case of a possible non-confidence motion moved against him in the house.

Also, BJP councillors Kuljeet Sandhu and Rajinder Sharma as Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, were elected unopposed after the AAP and Congress boycotted the polls over the disputed Mayor election.

"The Mayor has to prove majority in case the opposition moves a no-confidence against him," said a legal expert. It will also depend on how the AAP-Congress alliance goes ahead.

For now, the and the AAP leaders are upbeat about the SC intervention and the results thereof. AAP leaders,