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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has achieved a historic milestone in Gurgaon's political landscape by securing a majority in the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) elections for the first time since its establishment in 2008. This victory, encompassing 24 out of 36 wards, signifies a significant shift in the city's political dynamics. Coupled with the BJP's mayoral win, where Raj Rani Malhotra defeated Congress candidate Seema Pahuja by a substantial margin of 1.8 lakh votes, this election outcome represents a considerable consolidation of power for the ruling party. The results starkly contrast with the previous MCG elections in 2017, where Independent candidates held the majority and subsequently supported the BJP to govern the office. This time around, Independents only managed to secure nine seats, highlighting a decline in their influence. The 2017 elections saw Independent candidates bag 20 of 35 seats, with the BJP claiming 14 and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) winning one. The current election cycle witnessed the BJP fielding numerous newcomers, yet this strategy did not impede their performance, as voters demonstrated renewed faith in the party. Conversely, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and the Congress party managed to secure only one seat each, underscoring the challenges faced by opposition parties in the region. Union Minister Rao Narbir Singh, who previously won from Gurgaon, expressed his gratitude to the people of Gurgaon for their continued support of the BJP. He emphasized that historic development would be undertaken over the next five years and credited Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's leadership for the BJP's third consecutive term in power in the state. He highlighted the BJP's remarkable performance and commendable victories in all three elections within the past year. The city of Gurgaon has been grappling with several persistent civic issues, with waste management being a prominent concern. The incoming civic body will need to address issues such as broken roads, waterlogging resulting from even brief periods of rainfall, persistent traffic congestion, and the inadequate availability of public transportation. The BJP contested all 36 MCG wards, including 12 reserved for women, but experienced losses in 11 wards. The Congress party fielded 29 candidates, but two withdrew their nominations, and two others were rejected, ultimately leaving 25 candidates in contention. The Congress managed to win only one ward, where Satpal, aged 48, defeated the BJP's Ekta Tyagi by a margin of 1,200 votes. The youngest councillor elected to the MCG House is 22-year-old Independent Neha Devatwal, who defeated the BJP's Aanchal Bhati by 587 votes. Another notable outcome was the victory of 25-year-old Independent Kunal from ward 23, who defeated two-time councillor and BJP rebel Rama Rani Rathee by 1,599 votes. Kunal, a graduate of OP Jindal University with a BBA completed in 2021, secured the seat despite facing seasoned opposition. In ward 16, Congress's Ravinder Fazilpur received the fewest votes, with only 849. Among the returning councillors, Anoop Singh achieved a hat-trick by winning from ward 25 with a margin of 1,891 votes. Congress city coordinator Pankaj Dawar acknowledged the party's need to analyze the electoral outcome to identify shortcomings and areas for improvement. He stressed the importance of the BJP fulfilling its commitments and ensuring that promises made during the mayoral polls, such as cleaning up Gurgaon within 100 days, are not hollow.
Source: With 24 of 36 wards in kitty, BJP gets first majority in Gurgaon civic polls