Kuldeep Kumar is an Indian politician and a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He made headlines on 20 February 2024 when he was declared the winner of the Chandigarh mayor election by the Supreme Court, overruling the previous result in which BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar was unfairly appointed the Mayor of Chandigarh.
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Wiki/Biography
Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor [1]The Tribune was born on Thursday, 12 September 1985 (age 38 years; as of 2023), and he hails from Daddu Majra Colony, Chandigarh. His zodiac is Virgo. He studied till Class 12 at a Punjab School Education Board school (2005). [2]The official website of the Chandigarh Administration When he was young, he was associated with the RSS and the Bajrang Dal. He made a name for himself in sports as a national-level kabaddi player. He represented Chandigarh at national-level kabaddi meets on five occasions.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Kuldeep Kumar’s father, Rayat Pal, moved to Chandigarh from Uttar Pradesh in the early 1990s for a clerical job with the Haryana government. He passed away in September 2021. Kuldeep has a brother with whom he runs a tent business and catering business in Dadu Majra.
Wife & Children
His wife, Mamta, is a homemaker. He has two kids, a daughter named Umang and a son named Aditya.
Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor with his wife and children
Religion/Religious Views
He follows Hinduism. [3]K K Dhalor – Facebook
Address
His address is House No. 2064 Daddu Majra Colony Site and Service Complex, Chandigarh.
Signature/Autograph
Mayor of Chandigarh Kuldeep Kumar’s signature
Career
Before he started his political career, he worked as a sanitation worker (Safai Karamchari) with the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. He was associated with the BJP back in 2010. Kuldeep was a part of the BJP’s SC morcha, but he left the party to join the Congress. On 30 May 2017, Kuldeep was elected as the President and Chairman of the Residents Welfare Association Committee Daddu Majra. He received 1143 votes out of a total of 3023 votes.
Kuldeep Kumar celebrating after becoming the President and Chairman of the Residents Welfare Association Committee Daddumajra in 2017
In 2020, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Valmiki Ashram Management Committee in Dadu Majra.
Kuldeep Kumar being felicitated as the Chairman of Valmiki Ashram Management Committee in Dadu Majra in 2020
In 2021, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Kuldeep Kumar won the 2021 Chandigarh Municipal Corporation election from Ward No. 26, defeating BJP’s sitting councillor and former Mayor Rajesh Kalia. Thereafter, he was employed with the Medical Officer of Health wing of the Municipal Corporation. On 30 January 2024, Kuldeep Kumar, the AAP-Congress alliance candidate, lost the Chandigarh mayor election to BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar.
AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar breaking down after his defeat in the Chandigarh Mayoral Polls on 30 January 2024
According to the election result, Sonkar secured 16 votes, whereas Kuldeep got 12 out of the total 36 votes. Thereafter, AAP claimed that returning officer Anil Masih had unfairly invalidated 8 votes. AAP challenged the result first in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and then in the Supreme Court. They presented videos that they said showed the election officer tampering with votes. On 20 February 2024, the SC overruled the previous results of the Chandigarh mayoral elections and declared Kuldeep Kumar as the new mayor.
Kuldeep Kumar being greeted after the Supreme Court declared him as Mayor of Chandigarh on 20 February 2024
Apart from politics, Kuldeep runs a tent business and catering business with his brother in Dadu Majra. He also works as a property dealer in Dadu Majra.
Controversies
A Police Case
As per his affidavit for the 2021 Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections, an FIR was registered against him at the Maloya Police Station, dated 5 April 2015 under sections 147, 148, 149, 336 of IPC and 25-54-59, 27 of Arms Act 1959. [4]The official website of the Chandigarh Administration
Suspension From General House Meeting of the Chandigarh MC
In 2023, 8 AAP councillors, including Kuldeep Kumar, were suspended and forcibly removed by marshals from the General House meeting of the Chandigarh MC. The action was taken against the councillors after they tried to hurt MC officers and damaged properties at the House. The AAP councillors became angry when Congress and BJP councillors asked them to apologize for terming them ‘thieves’ and ‘corrupts’ during a press conference. AAP spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang, along with 8 other AAP councillors, had accused the BJP and Congress of making money from the Dadu Majra garbage dump during the press conference. [5]Hindustan Times
Car Collection
He owns a Toyota Etios. [6]The official website of the Chandigarh Administration
Assets & Properties
- Cash: Rs. 45,000
- Deposits in Banks: Rs. 4,825
- Motor Vehicle: Rs. 5,50,000
- Jewellery: Rs. 1,00,000
Note: The given estimates of assets do not include assets owned by his wife and dependents. [7]The official website of the Chandigarh Administration
Net Worth
His net worth was Rs. 2,21,842 in 2021. This does not include the net worth of his wife and dependents. [8]The official website of the Chandigarh Administration
Facts/Trivia
- His nickname is Tita (also spelt Teeta). [9]Vicky Bhatti – Facebook
- He uses the username K K Dhalor on Facebook. [10]K K Dhalor – Facebook
- Being a resident of Dadu Majra, he actively fights for the removal of the Dadu Majra dump. In an interview, after he was declared winner of the 2024 Chandigarh Mayoral polls by the SC, he said,
I represent Dadu Majra. My house is adjoining the wall of the dumping ground. My focus would be to arrive at a solution to the issue that has plagued the area at the earliest.”
