The party surpassed the majority threshold in both the Ambala and Sonipat municipal corporations, while the Congress faced challenges, achieving minimal ward victories in Ambala and experiencing similar difficulties in Sonipat.
Key updates from Haryana civic polls:BJP’s Vineeta Pippal triumphs in Rewari Municipal Council election
The BJP celebrated a notable win in the Rewari Municipal Council election, where party candidate Vineeta Pippal secured the chairperson position by more than 21,000 votes.
This victory further solidified the BJP’s strong performance in the Haryana civic body elections, where the party excelled across multiple municipal units.
BJP consolidates power in Panchkula as Shyamlal Bansal leads significantly
BJP candidate Shyamlal Bansal continued to lead the Panchkula Municipal Corporation mayoral race after the 11th round of counting.
Bansal received 35,155 votes, well ahead of Congress candidate Sudha Bhardwaj, who garnered 11,566 votes.
INLD’s Manoj Agarwal was in third place with 2,497 votes. Vote counting is ongoing amid tight security at the counting venue.
BJP captures 10 councillor seats in Panchkula
The BJP demonstrated a robust performance in the Panchkula Municipal Corporation elections, winning 10 councillor seats.
The victors included Dr. Paramjeet Kaur Lubhana from Ward 1, Paramjeet Kaur from Ward 2, Suresh Kumar Verma from Ward 3, Bharat Hiteshi from Ward 4, Jai Kumar Kaushik from Ward 5, and Parth Gupta from Ward 6. Jyoti Prasad, Rajkumar Jain, Harendra Malik, and Shekhar completed the winning list from Wards 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively, giving the BJP a notable advantage in the civic elections.
Congress candidate Rajneesh Singla claims vote fraud after Panchkula loss
The Congress faced another setback in the Panchkula Municipal Corporation elections, leading party workers and leaders to protest allegations of vote fraud.
These claims were made by Congress candidate Rajneesh Singla from Ward 3 following the results announcement. Congress supporters raised concerns about the counting process and expressed objections after the party’s loss in the civic elections.
Congress prevails over BJP in Sonipat Ward 19
Congress candidate Rajesh won Ward 19 in the Sonipat Municipal Corporation election, defeating BJP candidate Anil Thakur.
Rajesh received 2,754 votes, while Thakur obtained 1,509 votes. AAP candidate Vikas Dahiya managed 80 votes, and Independent candidate Sachin secured 235 votes. NOTA received 29 votes.
The Congress secured the seat by a margin of 1,245 votes, contributing to the party’s gains in the Haryana civic elections.
Ambala
The BJP maintained a strong position in Ambala, winning multiple wards and extending its lead in the mayoral race. BJP’s mayoral candidate Akshita Saini was ahead by 17,786 votes after 13 counting rounds. The party also claimed victories in the first six declared wards. Congress eventually got on the scoreboard with Gunjit Kaur winning Ward No. 8.
Sonipat
In Sonipat, BJP’s Rajiv Jain established a substantial lead of 9,544 votes over Congress candidate Kamal Diwan after four counting rounds. The BJP also won several wards, including 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13, while Congress won Ward No. 1 through Jai Kumar Khatri.
Panchkula
BJP candidate Shyamlal Bansal maintained a comfortable lead in the mayoral election. After four rounds, he secured 13,473 votes compared to Congress nominee Sudha Bhardwaj’s 4,539 votes.
Rewari
The results in Rewari painted a mixed picture. Independent candidate Shilpi Sharma won Ward No. 1, while BJP candidates won Wards 2 and 4, and Congress took Ward No. 3.
Uklana
The BJP faced a setback in the Uklana Municipal Committee in Hisar district, where Congress-backed Independent candidate Reema Soni defeated BJP nominee Nikita Goyal by 2,806 votes.
Vote counting and voter turnout
Counting of votes for Haryana’s municipal elections began on Wednesday, May 13, across various urban local bodies, with early trends indicating close contests between the BJP and Congress in major civic corporations.
The elections were held for mayoral and ward councillor positions in Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat, as well as in the Rewari municipal council and municipal committees in Sampla, Dharuhera, and Uklana.
According to the State Election Commission, polling for the civic elections, conducted on Sunday (May 10), saw an overall voter turnout of 54.5%. Approximately 4.75 lakh voters cast their votes from nearly 8.73 lakh eligible electorates.
Initial trends indicate a tight race in Sonipat
The initial counting rounds in the Sonipat Municipal Corporation election revealed a closely contested battle between the BJP and Congress candidates.
BJP nominee Rajiv Jain and Congress candidate Kamal Diwan each secured two votes during the initial ballot counting phase, as reported by News18.
An early win in the ward elections came when Congress candidate Jai Kumar Khatri claimed victory from Ward No. 1 in Sonipat, providing the Congress with an early lead as counting proceeded under increased security measures.
The BJP and Congress are the primary competitors in these civic elections. BJP candidates Akshita Saini, Shyamlal Bansal, and Rajiv Jain are vying for the mayoral seats in Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat, respectively, while the Congress has fielded Kulwinder Kaur, Sudha Bhardwaj, and Kamal Diwan for the same posts.
BJP achieves victories in Ambala, Sonipat
The BJP made significant gains in the Ambala municipal elections, winning several wards as the counting progressed. Virendra Nath attained victory from Ward 4, and Rajesh Mehta won Ward 5.
Earlier trends also favored the BJP, with Vishal Rana winning Ward 1 by a margin of 72 votes, Barkha Sahota securing victory in Ward 2, and Manish Anand also achieving a win. These results underscored the party’s robust performance in the Ambala civic polls.
In Sonipat, the BJP sustained its momentum with key victories in Wards 3 and 4. Tribhuvan Kaushik won Ward 4 by a margin of 1,370 votes, while BJP candidate Surender captured Ward 3 with a winning margin of 1,081 votes as the ballot counting continued.
Panchkula police issue traffic advisory
In anticipation of the counting process, Panchkula Police released a traffic advisory around the counting center located at Government Girls Postgraduate College.
Restrictions began at 5 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m. to ensure smooth operations and maintain security, according to News18.
Officials indicated that the stretch between Valmiki Chowk and the Sector 14 industrial area will remain closed to the public.
Traffic access from Sector 12A to the Sector 12A/14 dividing road has also been restricted during the counting process.
