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Akali-BJP combine sweeps municipal polls

Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

Celebration Time: Shiromani Akali Dal working president Sukhbir Singh Badal along with workers celebrating the party’s victory in civic elections, in Chandigarh on Thursday.

CHANDIGARH: Having romped home with impressive figures in the Punjab Assembly elections almost five months ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party suffered major setbacks in elections to four Municipal Corporations. The Congress lost power in all these cities located along National Highway No.1 that bisects the State.

The Akali-BJP combine has swept the polls for the Municipal Corporations of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala, dislodging the Congress.

In Amritsar, the alliance won 35 of the 64 seats for which the results had been declared. In Jalandhar, it got 33 of 60 seats, in Ludhiana 38 seats in the 75-member house, and in Patiala 41 of 49 seats.

However, an analysis of the number of seats won by each partner of the victorious alliance shows that while the Congress lost power, the BJP received major setbacks in the urban areas. Contrary to popular perceptions of it being a rural and peasant-based party, the Akali Dal did extremely well.

Of the 150 seats results of which had been declared, the BJP which had candidates for 128 seats managed a success rate of 46 per cent as compared to the Akali Dal, which walked off with 71 per cent of the 122 seats for which it had put up candidates across the four Corporations. The BJP’s performance follows its 82 per cent success in the Assembly, when it won 19 out of the 23 seats it had contested for the 117-member House.

Political observers noted that the Akali Dal put up a sterling performance despite the fact that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal did not devote much time to the campaign, which was left to his son Sukhbir Singh. According to political observers, the results of the municipal polls are expected to have a major bearing on succession politics within the Akali Dal, as it would be seen that the junior Badal’s modern image had found acceptance in the urban areas.

On the other hand, lack of a consolidated leadership both at the Centre and in the State has cost the BJP a lot. Also, the images of sabre rattling during the recent crisis around the Dera Sacha Sauda episode seem to have created some uncertainty among the urban Hindu community which has moved away from the BJP.

The BJP put up a dismal performance in Punjab’s largest city of, Ludhiana, where it could manage just 37.84 seats. The party’s state unit president Rajinder Kumar Bhandari belongs to this city. In Amritsar, where almost five months ago the BJP bagged all the urban Assembly seats and returned Navjot Singh Sidhu to the Lok Sabha, in the municipal polls it could manage just 47.37 per cent seats. Interestingly, in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana the Akali Dal returned a 63 per cent success rate.

Ludhiana and Jalandhar witnessed victories for as many as 17 and seven Independent candidates, respectively. A majority of them are said to be Akali rebels.

Interestingly, the Congress, which shared some seats with the Left parties, managed to win 60 seats, equalling the BJP in numbers. However, the party received a major drubbing in Patiala, which is represented by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in the Assembly and his wife Preneet Kaur in the Lok Sabha. The party got just four out of the 49 seats for which the results had been declared. Polling in one ward was cancelled. The Akali Dal got 32 out of the 35 seats it contested, while the BJP had nine out 15.

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Akali-BJP combine sweeps municipal polls

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