BJP’s Harpreet Kaur Babla is new Chandigarh mayor, wins by two votes

BJP’s Harpreet Kaur Babla, 60, was elected the new mayor of Chandigarh on Thursday after she defeated Aam Aadmi Party-Congress candidate Prem Lata, 46, by two votes. Babla got 19 votes, while Lata bagged 17 votes in the 36-member municipal corporation of Chandigarh in a closely watched contest.

While the House has 35 members, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari of the Congress holds the ex-officio vote. Babla is the councillor from ward number 10 and Lata represents ward number 23. The poll process was monitored by a Supreme Court-appointed observer, Jaishree Thakur, who is a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court.