"BJP got a good bashing by Supreme Court...": AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra quashed the decision by Returning Officer Anil Masih by which be declared BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar as Chandigarh Mayor on January 30.

Speaking to ANI, Bharadwaj said, "The population of Chandigarh is merely 14.5 lakhs. People in the country wouldn't even have known that a Mayor is elected every year in Chandigarh. The world's biggest party tried to play games even in these minuscule-level elections and got caught on camera."

AAP leader further stated that one can only imagine what the BJP can do behind the cameras if they are so dishonest in front of it.

"AAP candidate had got a clear majority with 20 votes. The world's biggest party tried to play tricks on the world's youngest party and got a good bashing by the Supreme Court. They are dishonest even in front of the camera, imagine what they are capable of behind the camera," he said.

The order of the apex court came as it found that the Returning Officer had deliberately defaced eight ballots that were cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar so as to make them invalid.

The apex court today physically examined the ballot papers and found that they are not defaced. It directed that Kuldeep Kumar be declared as mayor with 20 votes (12 votes which he received and 8 which were for him and were defaced by Masih).

"The eight votes which were treated as invalid by making those markings... counting the eight votes for the petitioner (AAP candidate Kumar) will make him have 20 votes. We direct that the election result by the Returning Officer is quashed. The petitioner is declared to be the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral polls," the bench said in its order.

The bench slammed Masih saying he had "unlawfully altered the course of the mayoral election".The apex court during the hearing noted that eight ballots were cast in favour of the AAP Mayor candidate. (ANI)