Chandigarh: In a huge boost for the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab, it won 14 of the 35 wards in Chandigarh, a city administered by the Centre and ruled by the BJP, results for which were declared on Monday.
The BJP, which had swept the last Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls winning 21 of 26 wards, ended second, with 12. The Congress won eight wards and the Shiromani Akali Dal 1.
Current Chandigarh Mayor and BJP candidate Ravi Kant Sharma was defeated by AAP's Damanpreet Singh, who won by a margin of 828 votes in Ward 17.
Arvind Kejriwal said the Chandigarh result signals change in Punjab, which votes early next year for a new government.
"AAP's victory in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation points at imminent change in Punjab. People have rejected corrupt politics and have chosen AAP...Punjab is ready for change," tweeted Kejriwal. The Delhi Chief Minister has been campaigning aggressively for the Punjab election.
AAP leader and Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha called his party's performance a "trailer" before next year's Punjab Assembly polls.
The polling percentage remained at 60.45 per cent this year, which was held on December 24. Traditionally, the municipal election – held every five years – has seen a locking of horns between the BJP and the Congress, but the entry of the AAP made the contest this time triangular.
Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. This time, the number of wards in the city was increased from 26 to 35.
In the last MC elections, the BJP had won 20 seats and its erstwhile ally SAD one.
The Congress had managed to win only four seats.
In the results declared on Monday, AAP leader Chander Mukhi Sharma lost to Congress' Sachin Galav by a margin of 285 votes from Ward 13. Chander Mukhi had joined AAP after quitting the Congress last year.
Former Mayor and BJP candidate Davesh Moudgil lost to AAP's Jasbir by 939 votes from Ward No. 21.
In Ward No. 25, BJP Yuva Morcha leader Vijay Kaushal Rana was defeated by Yogesh Dhingra of AAP by a margin of 315 votes. The ward was earlier represented by Chandigarh BJP president Arun Sood.
From Ward No. 2, Congress leader Harmohinder Singh Lucky lost by a narrow margin of 11 votes to BJP's Maheshinder Singh Sidhu.
BJP's senior leader Heera Negi lost from Ward No. 22 to AAP's Anju Katyal by a narrow margin of 76 votes.
Among the prominent winners, Harpreet Kaur Babla of the Congress, wife of party senior leader Devinder Singh Babla, won with a margin of 3,103 votes, defeating Rashi Bhasin of the BJP in Ward No. 10.
BJP's Saurabh Joshi won from Ward No. 12 with a handsome margin of 1,887 votes, defeating Deipa Asdhir Dubey of the Congress.
Congress leader Gurbax Rawat defeated BJP's senior leader Ravinder Singh Rawat from Ward No. 27 by a margin of 2,862 votes.
Kuljeet Singh Sandhu of the BJP registered a win from Ward Number 14, defeating AAP's Kuldeep Singh by a margin of 255 votes.
From this ward, Chandigarh Congress chief Subhash Chawla's son Sumit Chawla had also entered the fray.
From Ward number 30, SAD's Hardeep Singh defeated Congress' Atinderjit Singh by 2,145 votes.
Reacting to his win against the sitting Mayor, AAP's Damanpreet Singh said he gives credit for this victory to city party leader Pradeep Chhabra, whom he called "his guru", party national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
"Work is always appreciated and it has paid dividends today," he said.
Hitting out at the BJP and the Congress, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said people were fed up with them as they failed to deliver despite being given chance repeatedly.
People were looking for an "honest, viable alternative", he said.
"These two traditional parties failed to undertake development and bring about a change in the system, which people wanted. People saw how an ordinary councillor, who used to roam on bicycle and scooter, has big farmhouses and accumulated properties," said Chadha.
Asked if the results will have any impact on the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls, Chadha quipped: "This is just a trailer."
He added: "The mood of people here will be seen in the Punjab polls too."
"People of Chandigarh have given a chance to Kejriwal, people of Punjab too will give us one chance," he added.