Voting for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has begin for the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor.The contest is expected to be close, with the BJP facing a joint challenge from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The BJP has nominated Saurabh Joshi for Mayor, while Congress has fielded Gurpreet Singh Gabi and AAP has named Yogesh Dhingra.For Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts, candidates from all three parties and one Independent are in the fray. The BJP has 18 councillors, Congress six and AAP 11, with the Member of Parliament also having a vote, resulting in a tie of 18 votes each between BJP and the Congress–AAP alliance. The election will be conducted through a show of hands, and in case of a tie, the decision will be made by a toss as per the Municipal Corporation Act.Votes required for Mayor’s postJanuary 29, 2026 11:19 amTo secure the Mayor’s post, a candidate requires a minimum of 19 votes. The BJP has 18 councillors in the House, while the Congress has six and the AAP has 11. The Member of Parliament also has one vote, resulting in a tie of 18 votes each between the BJP and the Congress–AAP alliance. If the opposition parties contest jointly, the contest is expected to be intense. In case of a tie, the Municipal Corporation Act provides for a decision by toss. The election will be conducted through a show of hands.CandidatesJanuary 29, 2026 11:19 amFor the Mayor’s post, the BJP has fielded Saurabh Joshi, while the Congress has nominated Gurpreet Singh Gabi and the AAP has named Yogesh Dhingra as its candidate. In the race for Senior Deputy Mayor, Jasmanpreet Singh is the BJP candidate, Sachin Galav represents the Congress, and Manuar Khan has been fielded by the AAP. For the post of Deputy Mayor, Suman Sharma is contesting on the BJP ticket, Nirmala Devi from the Congress, Jaswinder Kaur from the AAP, and Ramchander Yadav is in the fray as an Independent candidate.