Ahead of polls, members allege Chandigarh Club teeming with corruption

Days before the Chandigarh Club elections on November 16, the club members have levelled corruption allegations against the current governing body, demanding a thorough investigation and fair elections.
In a letter addressed to the UT adviser on October 25, club members called for transparency in the elections, being held for the first time in eight years.
Navneet Modi, a club member, said there was widespread corruption and mismanagement within the club, particularly involving the secretary and other staff members. He alleged that financial embezzlement, impersonation of club members and fraudulent transactions were taking place using club funds, suggesting a potential trail of money laundering.
Modi further alleged that the club had effectively become a “profitable office” for certain employees, who were “engaged in corrupt and fraudulent activities for personal gain”.
These employees, he said, were reportedly defrauding and coercing people into obtaining memberships in violation of the prescribed norms and procedures in the institution’s constitution.
Established in 1957, Chandigarh Club, the city’s oldest social spot in upscale Sector 1, has around 7,200 members, including advocates, businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians.
Kawaljit Singh Walia, another club member, accused club president Sandeep Sahni and his associates of financial mismanagement, tax evasion, and alleged misuse of members’ funds to resolve personal financial problems.
Rupinder Singh Sachdeva, a long-time club member and a leading business leader of Mohali, called for a fair election, stating that the controlling group selected the returning officer solely to manipulate the election.
He cited past incidents of alleged fraudulent voting practices, such as allowing ineligible members to vote, ballot tampering and irregular vote-counting procedures. He urged the UT administration to act, considering the club’s prestigious status and the concessional rates it enjoyed on leased land of the Union territory.
Club president refutes claims
Responding to the allegations, club president Sandeep Sahni stated that an audit was conducted and notices were issued to members with unpaid dues, who will not receive no-dues certificates and will not be allowed to vote.
Dismissing Walia’s allegations as frivolous, he said they were in retaliation for a notice to vacate the club’s premises due to Walia’s catering service there.
Sahni assured that the club had appointed retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge justice Mahesh Grover as an election observer, along with senior advocates Chetan Mittal and Baltej Sidhu as returning officers, to ensure a fair and transparent election process.
3 in race for president’s post
Three businessmen—Naresh Chaudhary, Sunil Khanna and Ranmeet Singh Chahal—are in the race for the post of president, while Anurag Aggarwal, Anurag Chopra and Karan Nanda are vying for the post of vice-president.
For the eight executive member posts, around 20 candidates are competing. The results will be announced on November 17.
The upcoming election has garnered significant attention due to its notable membership list, which includes former and serving ministers and politicians from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, as well as judges, bureaucrats, lawyers and business leaders.