Rashi Aggarwal of Congress won from ward no 81 (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
The Congress on Tuesday swept the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation polls, winning 62 of 95 seats. Polling was held on February 24 amid stray cases of violence and allegations of bogus voting.
The SAD-BJP combine emerged as the main Opposition, winning 21 seats. While SAD got 11 of 48 seats it contested, the BJP won 10 of 47 seats it put up candidates on.
The LIP-AAP alliance, which contested the corporation polls for the first time, managed only eight seats, as per results declared on Tuesday. While the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) of MLA Bains brothers won seven seats, ally Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won only one seat.
The remaining four seats were won by Independents.
In the pre-poll seat-sharing arrangement between AAP and LIP, it was announced that AAP would contest 39 seats and LIP 56. However, seven AAP candidates backed out at the last minute and the party contested 32 seats on its symbol, winning only one.
One LIP candidate failed to file nomination, leaving the party to contest on 55 seats on its symbol.
In 2012, there were 75 wards of Ludhiana MC and SAD-BJP had won 39 seats, of which BJP bagged 12 and SAD won 17. Congress had won 19 seats and Independents 17. MLA Simarjit Bains had then supported the Akali Dal and his candidates had contested on SAD symbol. Although Congress has managed a clear majority in the House, some of its high-profile candidates have lost the polls.
The Congress supporters celebrated the party’s resounding victory in Ludhiana municipal elections. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
The youngest candidate of the party, 21-year-old Yuvraj Singh Sidhu, who contested his first election from ward number 46 against senior SAD leader Harbhajan Singh Dang, lost by 357 votes.
From ward 59, Shallu Dawar, daughter-in-law of Ludhiana Central MLA Surinder Dawar, lost to BJP candidate Prabhjot Kaur.
The lone AAP winner is from ward number 11. Balwinder Kaur, wife of AAP district president Daljit Singh Grewal, won the seat for AAP, defeating Congress’s Asha Garg by 1,832 votes. From ward number 44, where repolling was held in two booths following allegations of bogus voting and booth capturing, Harkarandeep Singh Vaid, son of MLA Kuldeep Singh Vaid, won by 221 votes against Meetpal Dugri of SAD.
Lobbying for Mayor’s post within the Congress has begun. The frontrunners are Mamta Ashu, who won from ward 67, Gurpreet Bassi Gogi from ward 76, Balkar Singh from ward 77 and Dr Jai Prakash from ward 90.
Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu said a meeting will soon be held with CM Amarinder Singh and PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar to finalise the Mayor nominee.
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