E-Paper
BJP wins 22 president’s seats in Haryana civic body polls
The June 19 elections were unique as voters directly elected presidents of the civic bodies for the first time — a departure from the earlier practice of elected members of these bodies choosing the president(s) from among themselves
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday scored an impressive win in the elections to Haryana’s civic bodies, bagging 22 posts of presidents of the 46 municipal committees and municipal councils that went to polls on June 19.
The June 19 elections were unique as voters directly elected presidents of the civic bodies for the first time — a departure from the earlier practice of elected members of these bodies choosing the president(s) from among themselves.
The state government had introduced direct elections for the Mayor’s post in the municipal corporation elections held in 2019.
Overall, in the June 19 elections, 456 members of 18 councils and 432 members of 28 committees were chosen, most of whom did not contest on party symbols.
Clearly, the Independents halted the BJP’s victory march by winning 19 posts of presidents. The BJP’s alliance partner Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) managed to win only three posts of presidents and while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), a party that once ruled Haryana, managed to win one seat.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which contested on the anti-incumbency, corruption and non-performance planks against the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP-JJP coalition government, won a single president’s post in the Ismailabad municipal committee of the Kurukshetra district.
BJP candidates contested on 33 seats on the party symbol but lost in 11 seats, while the JJP suffered setbacks in five of the total eight seats.
The alliance partners did not contest president’s election on party symbols in five civic bodies. The Congress stayed away from the civic body polls and had announced that it will support independent candidates.
“Our stand about civic body polls was clear that Congress will not contest...Therefore, there is no question of defeat and victory of the Congress,” Haryana Congress president Udai Bhan said.
Chief minister Khattar tweeted his congratulations to BJP candidates who won and dedicated the party’s performance to party workers, while the deputy CM Dushyant Chautala said the outcome was “positive”.
According to political analysts, the BJP’s win clearly points towards the saffron party retaining its grip in urban belts— the core support base of the party in Haryana.
The BJP has been in power in Haryana since October 2014 and the BJP-JJP combine’s current term will end in October 2024.
“The voters generally support the party in power in such elections. The fact that BJP-JJP still has more than two years left in its term has definitely tilted the tide in favour of the ruling coalition,” said a political analyst, asking not to be named.
The poll outcome indicates that BJP candidates contesting for the post of presidents — in councils as well as committees — registered victories in the assembly segments of Congress and Independent MLAs.
However, the BJP suffered setbacks in chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s home turf Karnal and the party nominees lost the elections for presidents of councils and committees in Ratia, Narnaul, Hodal, Bawal, Hansi and Bhiwani — all represented by BJP MLAs.
The BJP also lost in Bawal and Narnaul — assembly segments of BJP ministers Banwari Lal and Om Prakash Yadav.
