AAP manages to get a toehold in Haryana
CHANDIGARH/KARNAL: Before entering the civic body electoral battlefield in Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had whipped up strong anti-incumbency sentiments. Even as the AAP tried to outsmart the well-oiled BJP-JJP cadre in the game of perception and populism, the party was unable to halt the BJP juggernaut in Haryana in civic body polls.
However, after its stunning win in neighbouring Punjab’s assembly elections, the AAP in Haryana at least gained a toehold on Wednesday by registering its first win as results for 18 municipal councils and 28 municipalities were announced.
Kurukshetra, from where Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had launched AAP’s poll campaign on May 29, proved lucky for the party.
Nisha Kano Vangha, the AAP’s nominee, defeated Pooja Garg of the ruling BJP-JJP combine by a narrow margin of 101 votes for the president’s post in Ismailabad municipal committee of the Kurukshetra district.
Nisha secured 1,503 votes, while BJP’s Pooja at second position got 1,402 votes.
The AAP candidates gave a tough fight on five other seats and remained at the second position in Pehowa (Kurukshetra), Gharaunda in Karnal, Bhiwani, Kundli (Sonepat) and Sohana in Gurugram, as per the poll result data.
AAP nominees lost with a thin margin (below 100 votes) in Gharaunda, Kundli and Pehowa.
In Pehowa municipal committee, AAP’s president candidate Anil Dhawan had a close contest with BJP’s Ashish Sharma, who won by 55 votes.
In Gharaunda municipal committee under chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s Karnal district, AAP’s Surinder Kumar lost to BJP-JJP’s Happy Gupta by 77 votes.
The AAP also made its presence felt in Kejriwal’s home district Bhiwani. Though AAP candidate Indu Rani lost by 4,305 votes from Independent Priti Rani, she secured 21,607 votes for the post of president in Bhiwani municipal council and pushed the ruling BJP-JJP combine nominee (with 16,049 votes) to fourth position.
The party has also made some impact in the NCR districts as AAP’s Anjali Rani contesting for the president’s post of Kundli municipal committee secured 1,910 votes against the 1,987 votes polled to BJP’s winner Shimla Devi.
In Sohana municipal committee (Gurugram), AAP’s contender for the president’s post Lalita finished at the second position with 10,321 votes against 12,185 votes winning BJP-JJP nominee Anju Rani bagged.
Besides, AAP candidates for the president’s post secured third position in three municipal councils of Kalka and Kaithal, and two municipal committees of Ladwa (Kurukshetra) and Ganaur (Sonepat) and the party finished at fourth position in civic bodies like Naraingarh, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Safidon, Jind, Bahadurgarh, Taraori, Nissing, Assandh, Cheeka, Mahendergarh, Samalkha, Palwal, Gohana, Ellenabad, Rania, Mandi Dabwali, and Sadhaura.
“We won one seat of president and candidates we were supporting secured at least 20 wards in different MCs. People have reposed faith in the AAP and we expect a better performance in the upcoming panchayat elections as traders and businessmen in urban areas hesitate to vote against the ruling party,” Sushil Gupta, Haryana incharge of AAP and Rajya Sabha member, said.
In a tweet, Kejriwal greeted all the winners and workers of the AAP in Haryana and called upon them to set examples by working hard with dedication.
“It’s a new and encouraging beginning for AAP in Haryana,” Gupta said.