BJP's Rajesh Kalia defeats rebel, elected Chandigarh Mayor

BJP's Rajesh Rajesh Kalia has been elected Chandigarh's new Mayor after a face off in the city's Council with rebel candidate Satish Kainth. Kalia's election as Mayor has been fraught with drama considering the BJP and ally SAD hold a commanding majority of 21 in the Council of 26.

The Council also elected Hardeep Singh as the Senior Deputy Mayor and Kanwarjeet Singh Rana as the Deputy Mayor.

The decision of the BJP's Chandigarh unit to field Kalia as its pick for the Mayor's post caused fissures within the party. Kainth alleged that the party had tarnished its own image by nominating Kalia, who he said was unsuitable because of his 'involvement in criminal cases', The Tribune reported.

The voting saw Kalia secure 16 votes to Kainth's 11. Chandigarh's Corporation Council has 26 members, with the city's Lok Sabha MP Kirron Kher holding an ex-officio vote. The BJP has 20 councillors, SAD 1, Congress 4 and one independent. The Congress's Mayor candidate Sheela Devi and withdrawn her nomination, and the voting pattern makes it clear that the Congress corporators voted for the BJP rebel.

BJP's Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher tweeted her congratulations to the winners. 

Congratulations to Shri Rajesh Kalia for becoming the Mayor of Chandigarh. Best Wishes ???? pic.twitter.com/USbxwxfYgE

— Kirron Kher (@KirronKherBJP) January 18, 2019

Congratulations to Hardeep Singh for becoming the Senior Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh. Best Wishes ???? pic.twitter.com/o7sBlrykwY

— Kirron Kher (@KirronKherBJP) January 18, 2019

Congratulations to Shri Kanwarjeet Singh Rana for becoming the Youngest Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh. Best Wishes Kanwar ???? pic.twitter.com/NrbD2NL51k

— Kirron Kher (@KirronKherBJP) January 18, 2019

Kalia, who worked as a garbage collector in the past, joined the RSS in 1984 and started working for BJP from 1996, The Indian Express reported. His first electoral outing ended in failure in 2011 when he lost a civic poll to a Congress candidate. He was elected from Chandigarh's Ward 7 in 2016.