Moga, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, and Bathinda municipal corporations were bagged by the Congress party, while the BJP and AAP failed to secure any seats.
The Congress party has swept five of the seven municipal corporations in Punjab and was leading in two as counting of votes proceeded today for the state local body elections. Moga, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, and Bathinda municipal corporations were bagged by the Congress party, while it led in Pathankot and Batala. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), in the Majithia municipal council, has won 10 of the 13 seats according to the latest reports today. The BJP and AAP failed to secure any seats.
The political development can be viewed as a major setback for the BJP since it was seen as an urban voter base party and was an ally of the SAD until outraged farmers of the states changed the dynamics over the past few months.
Amid a raging protest spearheaded by farmers of the state against three new central laws, up to 109 municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats and seven municipal corporations went to the polls on February 14, which saw 71.39 per cent voter turnout.
Re-polling was held in a few booths yesterday and the results of which will also be announced today. In booth numbers 32 and 33 of the Mohali municipal corporation, re-polling has been ordered by the poll panel today between 8 AM to 4 PM. Thus, counting for that corporation will be held only tomorrow.
A total of 9,222 candidates are in the fray in these polls, out of which the independents form the biggest chunk with 2,832. Congress has the largest number of contestants among the official parties at 2,037, with its Muktsar candidate having already won unopposed. The BJP, being at the receiving end due to the ongoing farmers’ protest, has fielded only 1,003. The saffron party is contesting these polls without its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) The SAD itself has 1,569 candidates.
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