BJP sweeps Gurugram civic polls, wins two-thirds

Independent candidates, many of whom are BJP turncoats who contested on their own after failing to secure nominations from the party, won 10 wards

Gurugram

BJP’s Ashish Gupta, who won Ward 27. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The Bharatiya Janata Party scored a decisive victory in the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) elections, securing 24 of 36 wards across Gurugram. The results, however, proved a major setback for the Congress, which one only one of the 15 seats it contested.

Independent candidates, many of whom are BJP turncoats who contested on their own after failing to secure nominations from the party, won 10 wards. The Jan Nayak Janta Party (JJP) also secured one ward.

Even as Gurugram recorded a historically low voter turnout of 41.8% due to voter dissatisfaction, key BJP councillors, including Kuldeep Yadav from Ward 11, among three others, retained their seats.

Key seats

While Kuldeep Yadav’s 4,756-vote win was a positive for the BJP, some former councillors failed to cope with their challengers. Yadav beat out Alka Dalal, an independent candidate, who came second with 2,935 votes.

Yadav said, “I have always worked closely with residents to solve civic issues, whether it was fixing drainage problems, addressing power supply issues, or getting roads repaired. Voters have shown their trust in me again, and I will continue working hard to improve my ward.”

Meanwhile, former deputy mayor Parminder Kataria, who was denied ticket from BJP, won against the BJP candidate. He got 6,821 votes and BJP candidate Varun Kaushik got 2,357 votes.

Ward 15 witnessed a close contest between BJP’s Bharti Harsana, who secured 3,946 votes, and independent candidate Praveen Lata Rakesh Yadav, who came just short with 3,494 votes.

BJP’s Anoop Singh secured victory in Ward 25, winning by a margin of 1,891 votes.

However, the Congress and the Jan Nayak Janta Party won only a seat each, positing a bleak outlook in the near future.

Congress leaders were dismayed at the results, but said they will analyse the reasons for their loss.

Congress leader Pankaj Dawar said: “We fought the election with full determination and got over 91,000 votes across various wards. We accept the public’s mandate and extend our best wishes to the winners. However, we expect the new mayor and councillors to fulfil their promises and not let Gurugram’s development be reduced to mere election rhetoric.”

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), played a crucial role in BJP’s campaign in Gurugram, observers said.

Dheeraj Sharma, national president of the Nationalist Youth Congress, said: “In Haryana’s largest municipal corporation, Gurugram, BJP’s resounding victory was supported by NCP. We organised public meetings, engaged with local communities, and ensured the party’s message reached the people.”

Voters called on the winners to take urgent action on key civic issues.

Gauri Sarin, founder of Making Model Gurugram (MMG), a resident advocacy group, said: “Municipal services are the backbone of a city, and they need urgent improvements. Waste management, sewerage, traffic congestion, cow shelters, and water conservation must be top priorities. We expect the new administration to act, not just promise. The BJP now has the power to implement real change, and we will hold them accountable.”