Campaign ends for Chandigarh MC, 172 in fray for 25 seats

Chandigarh, Dec 18 (UNI) The campaign spree, led by the ruling Congress and the BJP, for the December 20 elections to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation ended today, whereas door-to-door campaign will continue till tommorow mid-night.

The electorate of this Union Territory, also the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, would go to the polls for 25 wards for which 172 candidates, inluding 53 women candidates are in the fray.

With total 26 wards in the city, the elections for ward number seven were countermanded following the death of a candidate.

Senior leaders including local Congress MP and Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal, Haryana Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra campaigned for the Congress candidates, while Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, ex-MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and Arun Jaitley campaigned of for the BJP-SAD candidates.

The week-long heated campaign, by the Congress, BJP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), Lok Jan Shakti Party and Independents candidates at some places, supported by Chandigarh Vikas Manch, remained peaceful as the local leaders conducted rallies and corner meetings in different localities.

The counting of the votes will take place on December 22 and the results will be declared on the same day.

UNI DP VD VV1656