Chandigarh Polls: AAP Rocked as 2 Councilors Join BJP, Mayoral Race Heats Up

• Two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) women councilors, Suman Devi and Poonam, defected to the BJP ahead of Chandigarh's Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections.
• The defectors cited serious allegations against AAP and its perceived collapse in Delhi as reasons for leaving.
• This defection reduces AAP's strength from 13 to 11 and increases BJP's from 16 to 18 councilors.
• With 35 councilors and 1 MP vote, the majority mark is 19; BJP now has 18, while AAP and Congress combined (11+6+1 MP) also have 18.
• The shift intensifies the mayoral race, making a potential AAP-Congress alliance crucial for challenging BJP.

Why It Matters: AAP's loss of 2 councilors to BJP significantly alters Chandigarh's mayoral election dynamics.