CHANDIGARH: In a clear indicator of which way the election could go, the BJP-Akali Dal alliance swept the Municipal elections in Chandigarh on Monday. Out of 26 seats, 21 went to the ruling party and the Congress received four seats. The Bharatiya Janta Party won 20 seats and Akali Dal got one.
The municipal elections are a welcome news to the alliance since it was fighting anti-incumbency n the state after having ruled for 10 years. Their contenders in the state assembly polls will be the Congress party and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, which hopes for a repeat show of its Delhi win in the elections last year.
This victory is seen as an approval rating for the Prime Minister and his demonetisation plan which is supposed to fight corruption, terrorism and black money. With Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa elections scheduled for early 2017, the government is also expected to announce farmer friendly packages in the Budget.
Meanwhile, the Opposition, led by Congress, has said that the government is insensitive to the common people's problems. But the government has been reiterating that the people support the move and despite hardships, they are weathering the short-term inconvenience since it is for the good of the country. The BJP had also set up a stronger holding in civic elections in Maharashtra and Gujarat and credited PM Modi's battle against black money for it.
