In Jakhal, Ind candidate defeats BJP in chairperson race

Vote counting for the Jakhal Municipality (Fatehabad) elections began at 8 am on Wednesday at the Government Model Culture Senior Secondary School here.

The counting process, which was closely monitored through CCTV cameras, concluded with surprising results.

The BJP faced significant defeat, particularly in the race for the chairperson position.

For the first time, a direct election was held for the chairperson post, and three candidates were competing. Additionally, there were 33 candidates vying for the 14 ward positions in the municipality. Independent candidate Vikas Kamra won the chairperson’s post with 4,571 votes, defeating BJP’s Surender Mittal, who received 3,252 votes. Kamra won by a margin of 1,319 votes. Mittal, despite a high-profile campaign backed by top BJP leaders, could not secure victory.

The loss is seen as a blow to the BJP’s political standing in the region, especially as several prominent leaders — including Chief Minister Nayab Saini, Subhash Barala, Devender Singh Babli and Sunita Duggal — had campaigned for Mittal.

The results in Jakhal are crucial for the BJP as they indicate the political mood of the urban electorate in the area.

The BJP had pinned its hopes on winning the Jakhal polls as these were seen as a reflection of the party’s influence in the state’s local elections. Voters’ decision to reject the BJP candidate highlights the growing discontent with the party’s leadership in the region, particularly concerning issues like poor infrastructure, inadequate water drainage and sanitation. In the ward-level elections, all candidates contested as Independents. Pinki Rani won Ward 1 with 293 votes, while Kulwant Singh won Ward 2 with 256 votes and Sanjeev Kumar Sharma won Ward 3 with 233 votes. Ratanlal Garg claimed Ward 4 with 328 votes, while Swaran Singh narrowly won Ward 5 by 12 votes.

Sunita Rani, Pintu Ram, Charan, Shiva, Sapna, Sudhir Kumar, Yashpal Garg and Parmjeet Kaur also emerged victorious in their respective wards with varying margins.

The vote-counting process was carried out smoothly, with comprehensive security arrangements put in place to ensure a peaceful and transparent procedure.

Deputy Commissioner Mandeep Kaur and other election officials were present during the count, and they expressed their gratitude to the staff and security forces for their work.

Despite the intense political climate, the elections were conducted without any major disturbances, and the process concluded efficiently.