Counting of votes underway for Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls

Counting of votes of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation election is underway, and results are expected to be declared by Monday afternoon, officials said.

Nine counting centres have been set up for 35 wards of the municipal corporation, and counting began at 9 am, they said.

Over 60 per cent polling was recorded in the elections held here on Friday.

The number of wards has increased from 26 in 2016 to 35 now.

Traditionally, the municipal election - held every five years - sees a locking of horns between the BJP and the Congress, but the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party made the contest this time triangular.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds a majority in the current municipal body.

In the last MC elections, the BJP had won 20 seats and its erstwhile ally Shiromani Akali Dal one. The Congress had managed to win only four seats.

The BJP fought the election on plank of its "achievements" in the past five years.

On the other hand, the Congress and the AAP targeted the BJP for allegedly failing to undertake development work and criticised it over the city going down in the "Swachh Survekshan" (a ranking for cleanliness) rankings.

The two parties also targeted the BJP for not resolving the issue of the Dadumajra dumping ground besides those of rise in prices of essential commodities.