New Delhi, 20 Feb

The Supreme Court said on Tuesday it would direct recounting of votes polled in the controversial Chandigarh mayoral election and declaration of result after considering the eight “defaced” ballots which were declared invalid by the returning officer.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra has commenced hearing the plea of defeated AAP candidate for the election Kuldeep Kumar, accusing returning officer Anil Masih of electoral malpractices.

The top court is scrutinising the ballot papers and watching the video recordings which were brought before it by a judicial officer appointed by the Punjab & Haryana High Court’s Registrar General. “We would like to see ballots which were invalidated,” the CJI said at the outset. The hearing is still underway.

The top court had on Monday voiced its deep concern over the "horse-trading" and said it will examine the ballot papers and video recording of the counting. It said 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 30 January  defeating the comfortably placed AAP-Congress 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. Sonkar, however, resigned subsequently, while three AAP councillors defected to the BJP.