Elections for 35 seats in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation are underway

The 35 seats in the BJP-controlled Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh are currently being voted on amid strict security.

The voting began at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, December 24, 2021, and will end at 5 p.m. There are 203 candidates in the running, and the results will be announced on December 27.

"There has been no report of any delay in starting the poll process," an electoral officer told IANS.

A total of 6.3 lakh electors are eligible to vote, with three lakh of them being women.

There are now 35 wards, up from 26 in 2016, and 694 polling booths have been installed. Over 3,000 police officers are on duty to enforce the stringent security measures in place.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have traditionally locked horns in the municipal election, which is conducted every five years, but with the addition of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the race will be three-cornered this time.

In the current House, the BJP currently has a majority. The saffron party won 20 seats in the recent MC elections, while its erstwhile ally Shiromani Akali Dal got one. Only four seats had been won by Congress.

While the BJP is campaigning on the basis of its 'achievements' over the last five years, the Congress and AAP have criticised the ruling party for allegedly failing to carry out development work and for the city's decline in the 'Swachh Survekshan' (cleanliness) rankings.

The two parties have also criticised the BJP for not settling the 'Dadumajra' dumping ground issue and have highlighted concerns over rising food costs.