Panchkula, April 26 -- Just weeks before the municipal corporation elections, former Panchkula mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, dealing a major blow to the Congress party. Ahluwalia, who served as the Panchkula mayor from 2013-18, said she was dissatisfied with the grand old party's working and felt she could not continue serving the people effectively while remaining in it. She had submitted her resignation to Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Rao Narender Singh on Friday. Ahluwalia, who lost the 2020 mayoral elections by a margin of 2,047 votes, further accused senior Congress leader and Panchkula MLA Chander Mohan of working against her. In her two-page reply to a show-cause notice issued to her on April 4, 2026, she alleged that Chander Mohan had worked against her in the 2020 mayoral elections, 2008 councillor polls, 2000 zila parishad elections and 1995 Panchayat Samiti chairman polls. She claimed that after the 2020 debacle, she had even raised the matter with the then Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja, but no action was taken. She also dismissed allegations of her having worked against him in the 2024 assembly elections, and said that the show-cause notice issued by the party had hurt her. "I am deeply hurt with the recent developments within the party. It is clear that the party has not only lost sight of its ideology but also lacks leadership and vision for the development of Panchkula." she wrote in her resignation letter. MLA Chander Mohan remained unavailable for comments, despite several attempts to contact him. When contacted, Panchkula Congress president Sanjay Chauhan said the allegations pertain to the period before he became the district president; and therefore, he cannot comment on them. He added that the disciplinary committee is looking into the matter. Chauhan further said Upinder Kaur was a strong leader of the Congress and her departure will certainly cause some loss. Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini welcomed her into the saffron fold, saying, "We warmly welcome experienced and honest leaders like Upinder ji to the BJP family. She will receive full respect, and we will work together to serve Panchkula's people." Donning the saffron sash, Ahluwalia said, "I am inspired by Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar and CM Nayab Singh Saini."...