Chandigarh MC elections: Hung House as AAP wins 14 seats, BJP 12
Despite impressive show by AAP in debut performance, no party reaches majority mark of 19 in 35-member House; former BJP mayors Ravi Kant Sharma, Rajesh Kalia and Davesh Moudgil besides AAP poll committee head Chander Mukhi Sharma among big losers
In its poll debut, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won 14 of the 35 municipal corporation (MC) seats, the BJP 12 and the Congress eight seats, while the Shiromani Akali Dal bagged one seat in Chandigarh on Monday. No party got a clear majority of 19 seats. The results of all 35 seats have been declared.
Aam Aadmi Party candidate Damanpreet Singh (centre) celebrating his victory along with supporters in Sector 20, Chandigarh, on Monday. (Keshav Singh/HT)
Among the major setbacks, three former mayors of the BJP, Ravi Kant Sharma, Rajesh Kalia and Davesh Moudgil, lost the elections.
The BJP’s four sitting councillors also lost the election, including Shakti Devshali, Sunita Dhawan, Heera Negi and Bharat Kumar.
The AAP’s election campaign committee head, Chander Mukhi Sharma, also lost the elections.
Congress chief spokesperson and sitting councillor HS Lucky also lost the election.
The AAP won ward numbers 1, 4, 15,16, 17, 18,19, 21, 22,23, 25, 26, 29 and 31, the BJP ward numbers 2, 3, 6,7, 8, 9,11, 12, 14, 32, 33 and 35 and the Congress 5, 10, 13, 20, 24, 27, 28 and 34. Ward number 30 was won by the SAD.
Taruna Mehta of the Aam Aadmi Party celebrating her victory in the municipal corporation elections in Chandigarh on Monday. (Keshav Singh/HT)
As many as 203 candidates are in the fray with the ruling BJP, the opposition Congress and debutant AAP putting up candidates on all 35 seats.
In the outgoing MC House, of the total 26 seats, the BJP had 20 councillors, Congress five and the Shiromani Akali Dal one.
Gurbax Rawat of the Congress after winning from ward number 27 in Chandigarh on Monday. (Sanjeev Sharma/HT)
Counting started at 9am for the votes polled on December 24 in which 60.78% of the total 6.33 lakh voters took part.