The BJP on Wednesday swept the municipal body elections, registering emphatic victories in Panchkula, Ambala and Sonipat, with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini terming the result as a reflection of people’s confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Except for Ukhlana, where a 23-year-old student won the municipal committee president’s post as an independent candidate, the BJP swept the polls of other civic bodies.
The saffron party bagged the chairperson’s post in the municipal committee of Sampla, the stronghold of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
It is worth noting that the Congress did not field its candidate in Sampla for the civic elections. INLD and AAP, which contested in some constituencies, got a blank result.
In the municipal elections, the BJP sought votes on the development plan while the Congress focused on targeting the BJP on sanitation, sanitation and corruption issues.
Read also | BJP wins Hooda bastion, set to sweep Haryana MC elections
The victory sparked celebrations in the BJP camp, with party workers and leaders distributing sweets.
Saini lauded the BJP’s phenomenal show in the civic polls, which came close on the heels of the party’s huge victories in West Bengal and Assam.
He also said that people once again put their stamp of approval and restored their faith in the policies and programs of the government under Modi’s leadership.
Saini criticized the Congress, saying that the people had rejected them again.
“The public no longer trusts the Congress and other opposition parties as they are only engaging in the politics of lies,” Saini said.
“Congress always supports lies, and people have understood that,” he added, adding that “the true face of the grand old party has been exposed.”
Regarding the BJP’s victory in Hooda’s stronghold, Sampla, Saini said: “People no longer trust Hooda. He speaks lies. Our government is working honestly and transparently, and is fulfilling the promises it has made to the people.”
As per the results, for the post of Panchkula mayor, BJP’s Shyamlal Bansal (71) defeated Congress candidate and former state Mahila Congress president Sudha Bhardwaj, by a margin of 36,252 votes.
For the post of Sonipat mayor, Rajeev Jain (61) of the BJP defeated his Congress rival, Kamal Dewan, by 23,247 votes.
In Ambala, Akshita Saini (32) of the BJP defeated her Congress rival, Kulwinder Kaur, by 21,358 votes.
At present, the three mayors of Panchkula, Ambala and Sonipat are from the BJP.
In Sampla Municipal Corporation, BJP’s Praveen defeated independent candidate Ankit by 687 votes.
In Dharuhera, BJP’s Satyanarayan, alias Ajay Jangra, defeated Babu Lal, the independent candidate, by 6,236 votes.
However, in Uklana, independent candidate Reema Soni (23) stunned by defeating BJP’s Nikita Goyal by 2,806 votes.
Asked about state BJP leaders campaigning for Nikita, Soni said: “I have the support of the people of Ukhlana. I thank them for making me victorious.”
Soni, who ran in the elections as an independent with the support of Congress, which did not field its candidate, said, “I belong to an ordinary family and I want to express my gratitude to all those who supported me.”
Before the competition, Soni, an alumnus, was preparing for competitive exams.
Meanwhile, in Rewari Municipal Corporation, BJP’s Vinita Pipal defeated Congress’ Niharika by 21,445 votes.
In the Ambala Municipal Corporation, the BJP won 16 wards, three of which went to the Congress, while an Independent won one ward.
In Sonipat Municipal Corporation, the BJP bagged 17 wards while the Congress registered victories in five wards.
In a few municipal districts, Congress Party candidates were behind independents.
In Panchkula Municipal Corporation, the BJP won 17 wards, Independents won two, while the Congress won only one ward.
After winning the Panchkula mayor’s post, BJP’s Shyamlal Bansal said he would try to live up to public expectations.
For the Congress, which has been out of power in Haryana for the past 12 years, the loss is a huge blow to the party’s existence.
During last year’s mayoral elections, the Congress failed to make any impact, with the Bharatiya Janata Party winning nine out of ten seats.
Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli thanked voters for restoring their faith in the party. He also said that the BJP’s victory in Sampla, Hooda’s stronghold, is indicative of the public mood and outright rejection of the Congress.
In Sonipat, the winning BJP mayoral candidate and former Haryana minister Kavita Jain attributed the win to the BJP’s “development policies”.
