The Congress has succeeded in winning five out of seven municipal corporations in Punjab- Moga, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, and Bathinda – as counting of votes to municipal elections in the state proceeded on Wednesday, media reports say. The party also led in the seats of Pathankot and Batala, as per various media reports.

BJP’s sudden loss might possibly be attributed to the BJP’s currently missing and previously existing alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the NDA, who quit the bloc last year, as well ire from farmers of the state who have increasingly grown to nurture an anti-government stance in the last few months.

The counting of votes for Punjab civic body elections, held
amid the ongoing farmers’ protest, started at 9 am on Wednesday with tight
security measures. The polls were held on February 14 with more than 70% voting
recorded as 9,222 candidates contested in the 2,302 wards of eight municipal
corporations, reports ANI.

The results are being keenly watched since the election
comes in the middle of the more than two month-long protest by farmers, mainly
from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, who are seeking the repeal of new farm
laws. The results will be an indicator of the mood on the ground.

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With re-polling being ordered at two
polling booths under the Mohali Municipal Corporation by the State Election Commission,
the counting for the entire civic body would take place on Thursday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) each fielded 1,003, 1,606 and 160
candidates respectively.

Among the total number of candidates,
2,832 are independents, 2,037 are from Congress, while 1,569 are from the
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Formerly a member of the National
Democratic Alliance (NDA), SAD contested the elections on its own this year,
after walking out of the NDA regarding the farm laws in September, 2020.

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Chief Minister Amarinder Singh,
meanwhile, said on Tuesday that the opposition parties were making accusations
in face of an ‘imminent defeat’, after several parties complained against
Congress of ‘indulging in violence’ and booth-capturing.