In a significant blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, BJP's Harpreet Kaur Babla was elected as the Mayor of Chandigarh on Thursday after three councillors cross-voted. Babla secured 19 votes, while her closest competitor, AAP's Prem Lata, garnered 17 votes. The mayoral seat was reserved for women in this election.

A total of 36 votes were cast, all of which were valid. Three votes, however, were cross-voted by members of AAP and Congress. This unexpected outcome led to blame being directed at each other by both parties. Many AAP councillors were unhappy, and there were issues within Congress as well. Just days before the election, Gurbaksh, a three-time Congress councillor, switched allegiance to the BJP.

Having assumed the mayoral role, Babla will now be tasked with selecting the senior deputy and deputy mayor. Voting for these positions will be held soon. Justice Jaishree Thakur, who was appointed to ensure a fair and transparent election, closely monitored the election process.

In the previous election, AAP had secured the mayor's post with the support of six Congress councillors.

Pratap Singh Bajwa, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, informed the high command of Congress about how the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) blocked Congress candidates from securing the mayoral positions in Amritsar and Phagwara. Bajwa was in Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

Punjab Congress President Raja Warring clarified that his party would never ally with AAP, adding that he would prefer to exit politics rather than join a coalition with them.

In the 35-member House, the AAP-Congress alliance holds 19 councillor votes, 13 from AAP and six from Congress, while the BJP has 16 votes. The BJP was banking on cross-voting to seize the mayoral position.