In Punjab, independent candidates stunned by ranking second on the overall winners list in local body polls. By winning 18 percent of the total seats that went to the polls in the region, the independent candidates in fact equaled the seats that all the seats won by the opposition parties combined.

By Wednesday night, results were reported on a total of 2,168, including 1,817 seats, Municipal Councils (MC) and Nagar Panchayats (NP) and 351 corporate districts, of which 1,378, including 1,102 MC / NP and 277 districts corporate, were won by Congress, which reaches almost 63 percent of total seats, while independents won in 392 districts (18 percent).

All the opposition parties together have won 403 seats (about 18.5 percent), including 285 from the SAD, 60 from the AAP and 49 from the BJP. The BJP, which is largely an urban-based party in Punjab, was in fact reduced to an unfortunate fourth place among all parties in the fray. The BSP and others won 5 and 4 seats, respectively.

Independents did exceptionally well in about half a dozen districts. In four districts, they were even ahead of the ruling party’s congressional candidates.

Mansa topped the list where independents got almost 2/3 of the majority by winning 53 seats out of a total of 85 seats, the ruling Congress was only 22 seats here.

The Jalandhar district was at number two, where 59 (54%) of the 110 districts were won by independents against 47 by the Congress party. The third district on the list of four independent-dominated districts was Barnala, where the independents won 31 against Congress and won 28. In Nawanshahr, 18 independents won against 16 from Congress.

Apart from this, the great victory of the Independents was recorded in Ropar where 39 Independents were declared victors and in Sangrur, 31 Independents were elected.

In Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Mohali, 29, 22 and 20 independent candidates won.

In the Rahon City Council, there was a landslide victory for the Independents where they won all 13 seats and similar was the scene in Jalandhar where the Independents won 12 seats out of 13 in Adampur and again 12 out of 13 in the Nurmahal committees, while 10 of the Independents won 11 seats in Alawalpur.

In nine districts of the state, independent candidates were far ahead of all opposition parties, and in half a dozen districts they were equal in seats or very close to opposition parties in seat counts.

Political leaders of various parties, including Congress, have asserted that most independents are backed only by the majority political parties. For example, in Rahon, where all independents have won, seven are said to have been endorsed by Congress, three by BSP, and two were independent candidates with no party affiliation.

Most independents have won in municipal councils and Nagar Panchyats, as only 18 independents have won in eight corporations where elections were held for 351 districts.

BSP state chairman Jasbir Singh Garhi claimed that although his party won 5 state seats in his symbol, nearly 25 BSP-backed candidates won mainly in the Doaba region. He said that 100 BSP candidates were vying for the party symbol and 100 as BSP-backed independents.

“In these elections, two candidates backed by the BSP from Rahon, five from Alawalpur, three from Nurmahal, two from Nakodar, one from Phillaur, Adampur, Sham Chaurasi, Khamano, Samana, Bhairupa, Tapa Mandi and Boha won,” the state said. BSP. boss.

The BJP had also claimed that most of its candidates were running as independents in the Council and NP elections out of fear of farmers’ protests, but it is not yet clear how many BJP-backed independents have won these seats.

It is known that also in the 2015 local body elections, about 20% of the independents won in the corporate elections and 30% in the municipal councils and the Nagar Panchyats elections.

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