Chandigarh, June 4
As many as 103 Independent candidates out of a total of 144, a majority of them owing allegiance to the ruling Congress, emerged victorious in the election to the seven municipal corporations (MCs), results of which were declared here today.

Even as the performance of the main opposition INLD and the BJP remained below expectations, the Independent candidates took the centrestage paving the way for the installation of Congress-backed Mayors in the MCs except the Yamunanagar MC. While the BJP could capture only 25 wards, the INLD registered its presence in just 16 wards.

The Independents held sway in Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s hometown Rohtak with 17 seats followed by the BJP(two) and the INLD (one). However, it was a setback for the Chief Minister as the BJP candidate Ashok Kumar Khurana handed out a humiliating defeat to the Congress-backed candidate in Hooda’s home ward.

In Yamunanagar, the combined strength of the Opposition BJP (seven) and the INLD (four) was reported to be more than Congress-supported Independents, who bagged nine seats.

In Hisar and Ambala, the Independents emerged victorious in 16 wards each out of 20 wards. While four wards were captured by the BJP in Ambala, a similar number of wards went in favour of the INLD in Hisar. The INLD drew a blank in Ambala, while the BJP met the same fate in Hisar. Out of the 16 seats in Hisar, three winners are considered to be backed by Kuldeep Bishnoi-led Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC).

The picture was no different in Karnal where the Independents bagged 15 seats followed by the BJP (three) and the INLD(two). One of the winning candidates is considered an HJC loyalist. In Panchkula, the INLD and the BJP won three seats and 14 seats were bagged by independent candidates, Dharam Vir, State Election Commissioner, said here today.

In Panipat, the BJP won six, the INLD two, while 16 seats were won by the Independents.

Meanwhile, Hooda, in a statement issued here, claimed that the massive mandate for the candidates associated with the Congress showed that the people had endorsed the development-oriented policies of the state government. “Also, they have shown mirror to those opposition leaders, who had been issuing baseless statements and making false claims,” he asserted. He said that “Our aim was to have a fair election and we had succeeded in achieving it. None of the political parties raised its finger on its smooth conduct,” he said.