Ruling Congress Has Edge Over BJP In Urban Body Polls

The Chhattisgarh urban body election was held on December 21.

Raipur:

The ruling Congress has an edge over the BJP in the closely-fought Chhattisgarh urban body polls held on December 21.The Congress has won 923 of 2,032 wards for which the results are out till now; the BJP is not far behind with 814 wards.

Polls were held for civic wards across 151 urban local bodies, which include 10 municipal corporations, 38 municipal councils and 103 nagar panchayats. The counting of votes, which began yesterday, is still on as some seats switched to ballot boxes for the election.

The Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) of Ajit Jogi has won 17 seats and Independents have been elected in 278 wards.

Under new rules put out by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, mayors and chairpersons of urban bodies will be elected by corporators and not directly by people.

The Congress has won 18 of the 38 municipal councils and BJP 17; of the 103 Nagar Panchayats, the Congress has taken 48 and the BJP 40; the Congress has won seven of 10 municipal corporations.

“In six wards, corporators were elected unopposed, while three wards received no nominations. In two places, all nominations were withdrawn and in one place polls were
postponed after the death of a candidate,” said an election official.

Of the 70 wards in Raipur Municipal Corporation, the BJP has so far won 23 and the Congress 22.

“The results show the Congress has registered victory in more wards than the BJP, and we are comfortably leading in several others. Congress will have the maximum number of mayors and chairpersons in the state’s urban bodies,” said Chhattisgarh Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi.

State BJP chief Vikram Usendi, however, said the local body poll results were a sign that the Bhupesh Baghel government had become unpopular in just one year.

The Congress came to power in Chhattisgarh in December last year.