Five Independent candidates have emerged as kingmakers in the 13-member Paonta Sahib Municipal Council elections, after both the Congress and the BJP finished in a dead heat with four seats each.
The fractured verdict has triggered intense political manoeuvring as both major parties scramble to secure the majority needed to control the civic body. Congress leaders have already claimed the support of several Independents, expressing confidence that they will form the council for the first time since 2007.
The results in Wards 8 and 12 proved to be the biggest upsets for the BJP. In Ward 12, Suman Gupta—sister of BJP district president Dheeraj Gupta — lost to an Independent candidate. Similarly, in Ward 8, heavyweight BJP-backed candidate Sanjay Singhal was defeated by an Independent. Political observers note these high-profile losses significantly shifted the post-election power dynamics.
Congress block president Harpreet Singh stated that multiple winning Independents were ideologically aligned with the party and had already extended their support.
A victory would break a long drought for the Congress in the region. The party last controlled the Municipal Council in 2007, under the influence of the late Sardar Ratan Singh (MLA in 1993 and 1998). However, the Congress hasn’t won the Paonta Sahib Assembly seat in 23 years. The Assembly constituency has been held by the BJP’s Sukh Ram Chaudhary since 2003, barring a 2012 win by Independent Kirnesh Jung.
Out of 36 contestants, the 13 elected ward members are: Nirmal Kaur (BJP, Ward No. 1), Asha Devi (BJP, Ward No. 2), Rajrani (BJP, Ward No. 3), Kavita Devi (Cong, Ward No. 4), Sarvashakti Bhatnagar (BJP, Ward No. 5), Inderpreet Kaur (Cong, Ward No. 6), Ravinder Pal Singh (Cong, Ward No. 7), Dr Rohtash Nagia (Independent, Ward No. 8), Inderjit Singh (Independent, Ward No. 9), Mayank Chauhan (Independent, Ward No. 10), Reena (Cong, Ward No. 11), Mamta (Independent, Ward No. 12) and Kuldeep Chaudhary (Independent, Ward No. 13).
While backchannel negotiations are actively underway, neither alliance has made an official announcement regarding the final council alignment.
