The main opposition Congress in Haryana is set to be wiped out in the civic polls, as early leads in the ongoing counting of ballots indicate that the state ruling BJP is leading in nine out of the 10 mayoral posts.
In one municipal corporation, an independent candidate, a BJP rebel, is leading.
The results will be the first electoral test for both the Congress and the BJP after the latter won the Assembly polls in Haryana in October 2024, securing a record third consecutive term.
The Congress has never contested the municipal polls on its symbol, except in the mayoral elections of three municipal corporations in December 2020.
In the mayoral election in the industrial town of Manesar, independent candidate Inderjit Yadav is leading by 1,638 votes in the first round. He has secured 4,809 votes, while BJP’s Sunder Lal has received 3,171 votes. Another independent candidate, Vijay Singh, polled 3,133 votes. The Congress candidate, Neeraj Yadav, received just 273 votes.
The elections for seven municipal corporations – Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal, and Yamunanagar – were held on March 2, while the voting for the Panipat municipal corporation was held separately on March 9. Bypolls for the posts of mayor in Ambala and Sonipat, as well as the election of presidents and ward members in 21 municipal committees, were also held on March 2.
Votes are also being counted for municipal councils in Ambala Sadar, Pataudi-Jatauli Mandi, Thanesar, Sirsa, Sohna (by-election), and 21 other municipal councils. By-elections for the post of president in Assandh and Ismailabad municipal councils were also held.
Forty-six percent of the more than 51 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the civic body polls on March 2.
A total of 26 ward members have already been elected unopposed. Among them, Kuldeep Singh (Faridabad), Vikas Yadav (Gurugram), Sankalp Bhandari and Sanjeev Kumar Mehta (Karnal), and Bhavna (Yamunanagar) secured unopposed wins from their respective wards in municipal corporations.
Likewise, three ward members were elected unopposed in Ambala Sadar and Thanesar, while 18 others won unopposed in various municipal committees across the state.
Ahead of the polls, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had exuded confidence that the BJP would win the contests. He said work would be done three times faster after the formation of a “triple-engine” government – centre, state, and the civic bodies.
IANS
