The Supreme Court’s verdict in the Chandigarh mayoral polls case is a big victory for the I.N.D.I.A bloc, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday, asserting that it has saved democracy in these “difficult times”.
The AAP national convenor also thanked the apex court for its historic verdict and said the message of this poll is that if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) parties remain united and work strategically, they can defeat the BJP.
The I.N.D.I.A bloc has been formed by opposition parties to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It includes the Congress, AAP, TMC and the Samajwadi Party among others.
Earlier in the day, the top court overturned the result of the polls in which a BJP candidate had emerged as an unlikely winner and declared the defeated AAP-Congress alliance candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the new Chandigarh mayor.
Hitting out at the BJP at a press conference, Kejriwal said that if it can “steal” eight votes out of 36 in the Chandigarh mayoral polls, what will it do in the upcoming elections, in which 90 crore votes will be polled.
The Supreme Court directed the recounting of the votes polled in the Chandigarh mayoral elections and the declaration of the result after considering the eight “defaced” ballots declared invalid by the returning officer. The Chandigarh mayoral poll has exposed the BJP before the entire country, the AAP leader charged.
He also congratulated I.N.D.I.A bloc partners and the people of Chandigarh, saying that the verdict was a victory for Chandigarh’s people, who chose an I.N.D.I.A bloc candidate as the mayor but the BJP stole their votes.