The BJP tightened its hold on Haryana’s urban political landscape with victories in major municipal corporations, while Congress alleged EVM irregularities during counting in Panchkula.
BJP (Photo: ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the dominant force in the Haryana local body elections as counting concluded on Wednesday, securing significant victories across municipal corporations and councils. The ruling party clinched the Mayor posts in the high-stakes Sonipat and Ambala Municipal Corporations, while also maintaining a strong lead in Panchkula.
In Sonipat, BJP’s Rajiv Jain was elected Mayor after securing a decisive 78,035 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Congress candidate Kamal Diwan, who garnered 54,788 votes. The victory was mirrored in Ambala, where BJP candidate Akshita Saini won the mayoral race with 52,794 votes, defeating Congress’s Kulwinder Kaur Saini by a margin of 21,358 votes. The party’s success extended to the ward level as well, with the BJP winning 16 wards in Ambala.
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The saffron party also made inroads into traditional strongholds and other local bodies. In Sampla, considered a bastion of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, BJP’s Praveen Koch won the Chairman’s post. Similarly, BJP candidate Ajay Jangra secured the chairman’s position in Dharuhera, while Vinita Peepal won the chairperson’s seat in the Rewari Municipal Council.
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However, the opposition managed to register a win in Uklana, where the Congress-backed candidate Reema Soni defeated the BJP’s Nikita Goel in the Chairperson election. In Dharuhera, Ajay Jangra secured 9,392 votes, leaving independent candidate Babu Lal Lamba and Congress’s Kumari Raj in the second and third positions, respectively.
The election process was not without controversy. In Panchkula, Congress mayoral candidate Sudha Bhardwaj alleged irregularities in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), claiming that seals were broken and unauthorised access was provided to strong rooms. Her allegations sparked protests by supporters, though official responses to the claims were still awaited during the counting process.
Celebrating the victory, Haryana BJP President Mohan Lal Badoli said the results reflected the public’s “blessings for the triple-engine government”. Scenes of celebration were witnessed across the state as supporters carried the winning candidates on their shoulders and distributed sweets to mark the party’s electoral success.
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