Cong wins Kalanwali municipal poll amid high turnout and controvers

The Congress party clinched a major victory in the Kalanwali municipal elections as its candidate Mahesh Kumar Jhorar was elected as the new chairman, defeating BJP’s Sunil Kumar, also known as Tishu, by a margin of 1,029 votes. The results, declared on Monday, brought the Congress back to the forefront in local governance.

The vote counting began at 11 a.m. at the Ambedkar Hall of Chaudhary Devi Lal University and was completed by the afternoon. Mahesh Kumar steadily maintained his lead through each round of counting, eventually securing 5,127 votes. Sunil Kumar finished with 4,098 votes. Ten other candidates were in the fray, including Subhash Kumar (912 votes), Ajeev Kumar (645), and Phool Singh (503), among others. A total of 12,582 voters cast their votes, and 104 opted for NOTA.

Elections for all 16 municipal wards were also held, with two candidates Amandeep Kaur from Ward 12 and Harvinder Singh from Ward 15 elected unopposed. The remaining ward results reflected a varied political contest:

The elections, held on June 29, saw a high turnout of 77.85%. Although voter participation slowed during the midday heat, it picked up again by the evening.

However, the election was not without controversy. Both major parties accused each other of vote buying. A video allegedly showing a person distributing cash at a party office went viral, drawing criticism from the other party leaders. Local Congress MLA Sheeshpal Keharwala alleged that the BJP and local administration attempted to manipulate the results. In return, BJP leaders accused Congress of similar practices.

In celebration of the victory, Keharwala announced a public felicitation ceremony for Mahesh Jhorar in Kalanwali Mandi. Election officials including SDM Mohit Kumar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Virender Sehrawat, and other observers were present during the counting process, ensuring a transparent declaration.

Notably, out of the five assembly seats in Sirsa district, Congress holds Sirsa, Ellenabad, and Kalanwali, while INLD controls Rania and Dabwali. That’s why the BJP made a strong push in the Kalanwali municipal elections, aiming to break the dominance of Congress and INLD. The party even brought in cabinet ministers for campaigning. However, BJP could not win this time. Still, it had managed to win the Sirsa Municipal Council election earlier in March.

Haryana Tribune