Chandigarh mayor quits, a day before SC hearing

Newly elected Chandigarh Mayor Manoj Sonkar resigned from the post on Sunday, amid allegations that the January 30 mayoral polls were rigged, according to sources.
This comes a day before the matter is to come up for hearing before the Supreme Court.
Mayor Manoj Sonkar has submitted his resignation to the municipal commissioner, sources said.
The BJP had swept the Chandigarh mayoral polls, in a setback to the Congress-AAP alliance that alleged tampering with ballot papers by the presiding officer.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had rapped the returning officer who conducted the mayoral polls, observing that it was obvious that he defaced the ballot papers and that he should be prosecuted, adding that his action amounted to “murder and mockery” of democracy.
The court had also ordered preservation of ballots and the video of the poll proceedings besides seeking the returning officer’s personal appearance during the next hearing in the case on February 19.