Team News Riveting
Chandigarh, December 27
Congress eyeing to retain power in Punjab received a jolt today as the ruling party in the state has to satisfy with the third position in the prestigious Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sprang a surprise; emerging as the single largest party in the civic body though the threw up a hung verdict. AAP contested the civic body election for the first time and performed well.
The AAP bagged 14 seats while the ruling BJP could manage 12 and the Congress remained third, winning only eight seats.
Among the prominent losers were sitting mayor Ravi Kant Sharma, and former mayors Davesh Moudgil and Rajesh Kalia. All three BJP candidates were mayors in the current term of the party. Sharma was defeated by AAP’s Damanpreet Singh.
Political analysts said the AAP’s poll promises had helped in the electoral gain. The party had promised freebies like free 20,000 litre water per month per house, free public parking lots, free door-to-door waste collection, free primary education and mohalla clinics.
The BJP also received a jolt as people were agitated with the ruling party in the civic body over the issues of raised water, sewerage and parking lots rates. Covid cess and cow cess were also the issues often raised by the opposition. National issues like price rise also seemed to have affected the party.
The BJP, which had swept the last Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls winning 21 of 26 wards, ended second, with 12.
Anti-incumbency seems to have gone in favour of the AAP instead of the Congress. Other than the BJP it is also a big blow to the opposition Congress which was eying a comeback in the Municipal Corporation.
