Chandigarh mayoral polls: SC slams 'horse-trading'

New Delhi: Voicing its deep concern over "horsetrading", the Supreme Court said on Monday it will examine tomorrow the ballot papers of the Chandigarh mayoral poll and video recording of the counting, saying instead of ordering fresh polls, it may consider declaration of results on the basis of votes already cast.

The BJP won the Chandigarh mayoral polls on January 30 defeating the comfortably placed AAPCongress alliance candidate after the returning officer declared as invalid eight votes of the coalition partners, drawing accusations of tampering with ballots.

Manoj Sonkar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated Kuldeep Kumar after polling 16 votes against his rival's 12 to bag the mayor's post.

"We are deeply concerned about the horse-trading which is taking place," a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said, and directed the registrar general of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to depute a judicial officer to bring the records safely to New Delhi and present them before it on Tuesday. (PTI)