BJP Sweeps Haryana Local Polls

The Congress is on course for a second successive election defeat in Haryana. Stamping its authority in Haryana after winning the Assembly elections months ago, the BJP's mayoral candidates are leading in nine of the 10 municipal corporations, including in Rohtak - the bastion of Congress stalwart Bhupinder Hooda. The Congress, contesting the state civic polls on its own symbol for the first time, is unlikely to open its account.

The BJP's mayoral candidates have won Ambala, Gurugram, Sonipat, Rohtak and Karnal. It is leading in Faridabad, Panipat, Hisar and Yamunanagar. In Manesar, independent candidate Inderjeet Yadav defeated BJP's Sunder Lal.

In Ambala, the BJP's Shailja Sachdeva won the mayor's post, defeating her nearest Congress rival Amisha Chawla by a margin of 20,487 votes. BJP's Raj Rani bagged the Gurugram mayoral seat, while senior BJP leader Rajiv Jain trounced Congress's Komal Dewan in Sonipat. In Karnal, the BJP's Renu Bala Gupta defeated the Congress's Manoj Wadhwa.

However, the biggest embarrassment for the Congress came in Rohtak, the stronghold of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Rohtak was clinched by Ram Avtar of the BJP against the Congress's Surajmal Kiloi.

In the 2024 Assembly polls, the Congress maintained its grip over Rohtak and Jhajjar districts, with the party clinching seven out of eight seats.

The elections, which took place on March 2, saw minimal participation from regional players like INLD, AAP, and the JJP after their dismal showing in the Assembly polls. The BJP's strong performance, especially in urban strongholds like Gurugram, shows its continuing dominance over the state's political landscape despite a 10-year rule.