20 February,2024 06:38 PM IST | Chandigarh | PTI
AP councillor Kuldeep Kumar being greeted after the Supreme Court declared him as winner and Mayor of Chandigarh. Pic/PTI
It is a victory of democracy and Chandigarh residents, said AAP councillor Kuleep Kumar who was declared winner and mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Celebrations broke out at the AAP office after the Supreme Court declared AAP municipal councillor as winner and mayor of Chandigarh.
AAP members and councillors exchanged sweets with each other.
Reacting to the apex court verdict, Kumar further said he would have become the mayor earlier had the Chandigarh mayoral polls not been rigged allegedly by the BJP.
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"It is a victory of democracy, victory of Chandigarh residents and victory of truth," said elated Kumar who was the AAP candidate for the mayor post.
"Today, I have tears of joy," said Kumar who had cried on January 30 when the eight votes were declared invalid.
To a question, Kumar said development works in Chandigarh will be done in the same manner as it was done in Punjab and Delhi.
Kumar further said he always had complete trust in the court.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the result of the Chandigarh mayoral poll in which the BJP candidate had emerged an unlikely winner and declared defeated AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the new city mayor.
It also ordered prosecution of the returning officer for the poll, Anil Masih, a BJP leader, for his "misdemeanour" after finding serious faults in the conduct of the January 30 election.
The apex court made it clear that it was not quashing the entire electoral exercise and restricting itself to dealing with the wrong-doings in the counting process which led to invalidation of eight votes cast in Kumar's favour.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said it was evident that Masih made deliberate attempt to deface eight ballot papers.
