BJP councillor Suman Sharma has been elected Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh with 18 votes, completing the party’s clean sweep of all three key posts—Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayor.BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi was elected Mayor, also securing 18 votes, while Congress candidate Gurpreet Singh Gabbi received 7 votes and AAP’s Yogesh Dhingra got 11 votes. BJP’s Jasmanpreet Singh was elected Senior Deputy Mayor with the same 18 votes.The results reaffirm BJP’s dominance in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, despite a competitive challenge from the Congress–AAP alliance.Voting began at 11 am for the three posts. BJP fielded Saurabh Joshi, Congress nominated Gurpreet Singh Gabbi, and AAP put forward Yogesh Dhingra. For the Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts, candidates from all three parties, along with one independent, were also in the fray.BJP holds 18 councillors, Congress 6, and AAP 11, with the Member of Parliament casting an additional vote. This created a tie of 18 votes each between BJP and the Congress–AAP alliance. The election was conducted through a show of hands, with a toss provision under the Municipal Corporation Act in case of a tie.MP Manish Tewari raises his hand in support of GabiJanuary 29, 2026 1:16 pmThe Chandigarh MP also has a voting right as an ex officio member of the 35-member municipal corporation. Sitting MP Manish Tewari of the Congress raised his hand in support of his party’s nominee Gurpreet Singh Gabi.BJP’S Suman Sharma elected Deputy Mayor of ChandigarhJanuary 29, 2026 12:19 pmBJP councillor Suman Sharma has been elected as the new Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh, securing 18 votes. With this, BJP has won all three key posts—Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayor.BJP’s Mayor Saurabh Joshi greets House after being elected Mayor of ChandigarhJanuary 29, 2026 12:13 pmAAP rebel Ram Chander Yadav withdraws nominationJanuary 29, 2026 12:11 pmAAP rebel and Independent candidate Ram Chander Yadav withdrew his nomination at the last moment and cast his vote in favour of AAP candidate Jaswinder Kaur for Deputy MayorJasmanpreet Singh elected Senior Deputy MayorJanuary 29, 2026 12:10 pmBJP’s Jasmanpreet Singh was elected Senior Deputy Mayor, receiving 18 votes. AAP candidate Munawar Khan secured 11 votes. Congress candidates walked out of the House after casting their votes for the post of Mayor.BJP’s Saurabh Joshi elected Mayor of ChandigarhJanuary 29, 2026 11:38 amBJP councillor Saurabh Joshi was elected as the new mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation in a poll held here on Thursday. In the three-cornered contest, Joshi secured 18 votes, AAP candidate Yogesh Dhingra got 11 votes, while the Congress’ Gurpreet Singh Gabi secured seven votes. The polls were conducted by a show of hands instead of the previous practice of a secret ballot. After raising their hands, councillors also gave their verbal confirmation. Ramneek Singh Bedi, a nominated councillor, was appointed as the presiding officer for the election. In the 35-member house of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the BJP has 18 councillors, the AAP has 11, and the Congress has six. The Chandigarh MP also has a voting right as an ex officio member of the 35-member municipal corporation. Sitting MP Manish Tewari of the Congress raised his hand in support of his party’s nominee Gurpreet Singh Gabi.Chandigarh: Year-wise Mayors (2021–2026 Term)January 29, 2026 11:31 am2022 (Jan–Dec): Harpreet Kaur Babla (BJP) – Took office after BJP regained majority post-defections; served the initial term. 2023: Kuldeep Kumar (AAP) – Briefly became mayor following a Supreme Court order overturning the BJP win; term ended amid reversals. 2024: BJP regained the mayoral post with Damanpreet Singh (exact records vary) amid post-defection shifts. 2025: Harpreet Kaur Babla (BJP) – Re-elected in February 2025 polls, defeating AAP and continuing BJP’s dominance.Gurpreet Gabbi gets 7 votesJanuary 29, 2026 11:29 amIn the Chandigarh Mayor election, Congress candidate Gurpreet Singh Gabbi has secured 7 votes in the initial tally conducted via show-of-hands. The count includes 6 councillors and an additional vote from MP Manish Tewari. This early lead adds excitement to the razor-thin contest between BJP and the Congress-AAP alliance, with both sides holding 18 votes each, while 19 votes are required to win outright.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.
