Counting Today: BJP Eyes Sweep, Cong Wary

Panchkula: The fate of 96 candidates in the municipal corporation elections will be decided Wednesday, with counting set to take place amid sharp political claims and counterclaims.

While the ruling BJP is confident of sweeping all 20 councillor seats along with the mayoral post, the Congress, though upbeat about its prospects, has raised concerns over alleged “bogus voting” and “irregularities” in the run-up to polling.

“We are going to win all 20 councillor seats and the mayor’s post. Our confidence comes from the development works carried out,” BJP district president Ajay Mittal said, dismissing Congress allegations as “baseless”.

Congress district president Sanjay Chauhan said the party expects change after “lack of development” over the past five years but flagged concerns over alleged discrepancies. He said the party had submitted a list of 8,543 duplicate voter entries to the election commission and also raised the issue of CCTV cameras outside the strong room being non-functional for about 90 minutes on Monday.

INLD district president Manoj Aggarwal said both BJP and Congress have a history of making such allegations. “We are fighting with a positive mindset and expect good results,” he said.

The BJP’s previous term ended in January, and the results will determine whether it retains control or rivals — Congress, INLD or AAP — make gains.

BJP’s Sham Lal Bansal, Congress’s Sudha Bhardwaj, INLD’s Manoj Aggarwal and AAP’s Rajesh Kumar are among the mayoral contenders.

Polling on Sunday recorded a turnout of 53.38%, lower than the previous MC elections. While villages and colonies saw high participation — with some booths nearing 90% turnout — several sector booths reported turnout as low as around 22%.