Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections: Polling for 35 seats underway, all eyes on BJP and AAP

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New Delhi: Polling for the 35 seats of the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation Chandigarh is currently underway amid tight security.

The voting began on Friday (December 24, 2021) morning at 7:30 am and will continue till 5 pm. There are 203 candidates in the fray whose electoral fate will be declared on December 27.

"There has been no report of any delay in starting the poll process," an electoral officer told IANS.

About 6.3 lakh voters including three lakh women are eligible to cast votes.

The number of wards has increased from 26 in 2016 to 35 now and 694 polling booths have been set up. Over 3,000 policemen are on duty to enforce tight security arrangements.

Traditionally, the municipal election - held every five years - sees a locking of horns between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, but with the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the contest this time will be three-cornered.

The BJP currently holds a majority in the current House. In the last MC elections, the saffron party had won 20 seats and its erstwhile ally Shiromani Akali Dal won one. Congress had managed to get only four seats.

While the BJP is fighting the election on the plank of its 'achievements' in the past five years, Congress and AAP have targeted the ruling party for allegedly failing to undertake development work and have criticised it over city going down in the 'Swachh Survekshan' (a ranking for cleanliness) rankings.

The two parties have also targeted BJP for not resolving the issue of 'Dadumajra' dumping ground and have also raised issues like rising prices of essential commodities. 

(With agency inputs)