BJP Dominates Haryana Local Polls, Wins 9 Out Of 10 Mayoral Seats; Congress Faces Second Consecutive Rout

The Congress suffered a second consecutive electoral defeat in Haryana, as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured victory in nine out of ten mayoral elections, including in Gurugram and Rohtak-considered a stronghold of senior Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda.

The only exception was in Manesar, where Dr Inderjit Yadav, an independent candidate and former BJP leader, won.

Photo Credit: https://x.com/BJP4Haryana

Historically, the Congress has contested local elections under its official symbol only once before. However, this time, the party fielded multiple candidates, including for the Gurugram mayoral race, which resulted in a direct contest with the BJP for the first time.

In response, the BJP deployed senior state leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Nayab Saini and newly-elected Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, to campaign. The Congress countered by bringing in former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Hooda.

Despite this, the outcome was overwhelmingly in the BJP's favour. The incumbent BJP candidate, Raj Rani, defeated the Congress' Seema Pahuja by over one lakh votes in Gurugram.

Congress Loses in Rohtak

The Rohtak mayoral race saw a five-way contest involving the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), and an independent candidate. However, BJP's Ram Avtar emerged victorious, securing over one lakh votes and defeating the Congress' Surajmal Kiloi by a margin of over 45,000 votes. This defeat is considered a significant setback for Congress, as Rohtak has long been regarded as Hooda's political bastion.

BJP Secures Wins in Ambala and Faridabad

In Ambala, BJP candidate Shailja Sachdeva defeated the Congress' Amisha Chawla by 20,487 votes. Meanwhile, in Faridabad, the BJP's Parveen Joshi defeated Congress' Lata Rani.

BJP Leads in Hisar, Karnal, and Panipat

The BJP continued its winning streak in:
- Hisar, where Praveen Popli defeated Congress' Krishan Singla.
- Karnal, where Renu Bala Gupta of the BJP defeated Congress' Manoj Wadhwa.
- Panipat, where BJP's Komal Saini won against Congress' Savita Garg.
- Sonipat, where senior BJP leader Rajiv Jain defeated Congress' Komal Dewan.
- Yamunanagar, where BJP's Suman secured victory over Congress' Kirna Devi.

Voting took place on March 2 in Gurugram, Manesar, Rohtak, Faridabad, Hisar, Karnal, and Yamunanagar, along with by-elections for mayoral posts in Ambala and Sonipat. Panipat went to the polls on March 9, coinciding with elections for 21 municipal committees.

Record Low Voter Turnout

The voter turnout for these elections was recorded at 41%, a significant drop compared to the 68% turnout in the Assembly elections. Reports indicate that this is the lowest turnout recorded for local elections in the state.

Additionally, 26 ward members were elected unopposed, including:
- Kuldeep Singh (Faridabad)
- Vikas Yadav (Gurugram)
- Sankalp Bhandari and Sanjeev Kumar Mehta (Karnal)
- Bhavna (Yamunanagar)

(With agency inputs)