In a significant political update, the Congress party appears to be heading for a second consecutive electoral setback in Haryana, as early counts from Wednesday morning's municipal elections demonstrate a strong showing for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP is leading or has already secured victory in nine out of ten mayoral seats across key civic bodies, including significant wins in Gurugram and Rohtak—areas traditionally considered strongholds for senior Congress figure Bhupinder Hooda.
In Manesar, the only exception to BJP's sweep, independent candidate Dr. Inderjit Yadav, a former BJP leader running as a rebel, is currently in the lead.
While the Congress has mainly refrained from contesting local polls under its own banner, in this election cycle, the party fielded candidates for several posts, notably for the mayoral race in Gurugram.
This marked the first direct face-off against the BJP for the seat.
In response to the Congress challenge, the BJP deployed high-profile figures from neighboring states, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Nayab Saini and his Delhi counterpart Rekha Gupta, both undertaking comprehensive campaigning with door-to-door outreach and vibrant roadshows.
The Congress countered with heavyweights like former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Bhupinder Hooda.
Despite these efforts, the outcome was decisively one-sided. In Gurugram, incumbent BJP candidate Raj Rani maintained a substantial lead over her Congress rival Seema Pahuja, boasting a margin of over 95,000 votes after six rounds of counting.
Congress stumbles in Rohtak
Rohtak's mayoral race, theoretically a five-cornered battle involving the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Indian National Lok Dal, and an independent candidate, witnessed BJP's Ram Avtar securing a commanding victory.
He accrued over 100,000 votes, leaving the Congress's Surajmal Kiloi trailing with a deficit of more than 45,000 ballots. This result is particularly damaging for Congress, given the region's status as former Chief Minister Hooda's stronghold.
BJP claims Ambala, maintains lead in Faridabad
In Ambala, BJP's Shailja Sachdeva triumphed over Congress's Amisha Chawla by 20,487 votes. Meanwhile, in Faridabad, BJP's Parveen Joshi maintained his lead over Congress contender Lata Rani.
BJP leads across Hisar, Karnal, Panipat
In other key areas, the BJP continued its domination, with Praveen Popli leading in Hisar against Congress's Krishan Singla. In Karnal, Renu Bala Gupta is ahead of Congress’s Manoj Wadhwa, while in Panipat, Komal Saini leads Congress's Savita Garg.
Additionally, senior BJP leader Rajiv Jain is outperforming Congress's Komal Dewan in Sonipat, and in Yamunanagar, BJP's Suman is ahead of Congress candidate Kirna Devi.
Voting took place on March 2 in Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal, Yamunanagar, as well as Gurugram and Manesar, with by-elections for Ambala and Sonipat's mayoral posts occurring the same day.
Panipat residents cast their votes on March 9. Elections for 21 municipal committees were held concurrently.
A notable decline in voter participation was observed, with turnout at a mere 41%, marking a record low in comparison to the 68% witnessed during the Assembly elections.
Additionally, 26 ward members were elected unopposed, including Kuldeep Singh (Faridabad), Vikas Yadav (Gurugram), Sankalp Bhandari and Sanjeev Kumar Mehta (Karnal), and Bhavna (Yamunanagar).
