CHANDIGARH: In a significant rout for the opposition amid the farmers’ protest and only a yr forward of the Assembly polls in Punjab, the Congress gained seven municipal firms and was main in different civic physique polls, whereas the BJP, going through anger over the contentious Central farm legal guidelines, had a dismal present in its city dominated segments.
The Congress gained municipal firms in Abohar, Bathinda, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Batala and Hoshiarpur.
The counting of votes for the Municipal Corporation in Mohali would happen on Thursday after repolling in two cubicles owing to reviews of irregularities.
Besides the municipal firms, polling for 109 municipal councils and municipal Panchayats was held on February 14. The counting of ballots are being held concurrently.
Amid allegations of sales space capturing and clashes, there was 71.39 per cent of the 39,15,280 citizens.
The predominant contest within the city native our bodies was among the many Congress, the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is contesting the municipal polls for the primary time, and the SAD.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested the polls for the primary time in twenty years with out the Akalis, the oldest NDA ally that parted methods from it over the farm legal guidelines. Both confronted the problem of contesting independently after an extended break.
Ahead of the Assembly elections slated early subsequent yr, state’s predominant opposition AAP was attempting to strengthen its floor in these polls by projecting itself as an alternative choice to the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP amid the farmers’ agitation.
Political observers instructed IANS that the rout of AAP in these elections clearly indicated that city voters have misplaced religion within the faction-ridden social gathering within the state.
For the BJP, its rout was in its dominated Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Abohar segments.
Local problems with cities and cities and the respective wards dominated the campaigning.
A complete of 9,222 candidates have been in fray for 2,302 wards. Interestingly, 2,847 of them have been Independents.
The Congress fielded 2,037 candidates, whereas there have been 1,569 from SAD. The BJP, AAP and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had fielded 1,003, 1,606 and 160 candidates, respectively.
In a humiliation for the Congress and the BJP, the spouse of Congress MLA from Moga, Harjot Kamal, and the spouse of BJP chief Tiksan Sood from Hoshiarpur misplaced the election from their respective seats.
Political observers say these polls only a yr forward of the Assembly elections are a ‘semi-final’ for the Amarinder Singh-led Congress authorities that’s eyeing to repeat its victory towards the backdrop of the farm legal guidelines which have generated a wave of anger towards the BJP.
On the eve of poll depend, a assured Chief Minister Amarinder Singh termed the allegations of the BJP and AAP on rigging of civic polls as a typical case of crying foul within the face of their imminent defeat within the election.
“It’s a panic response to their inevitable wipeout in these polls,” mentioned the Chief Minister, including that the BJP and AAP, in addition to SAD, are all set to be utterly trounced in these municipal polls, whose outcomes would be the precursor of worse to return for these events which have completely misplaced the arrogance and belief of the individuals.
“All these events have labored collectively to break Punjab, with the black farm legal guidelines the newest within the lengthy line of their anti-people and anti-Punjab actions,” Amarinder Singh added.
