In the closest-possible finish, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Vandna Sharma secured victory from Muktsar’s Ward 30 by a margin of a solitary vote.
Vandna polled 703 votes to edge past her nearest rival, Raj Kumari of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who received 702 votes. The razor-thin margin prompted election officials to recount the votes, but the outcome remained the same.
According to Vandna’s husband, Pawan Sharma, the counting was conducted three times, but the result remained unchanged on each occasion, confirming the one-vote victory. Vandna has been elected as councillor for the second time.
Tight margins were a theme across the Bathinda district as well. Among the closest contests were Kuldeep Rai’s win from Nathana by two votes and Ramandeep Kaur’s victory from Goniana by four votes. They contested on SAD and AAP tickets, respectively.
Others who scraped through with margins of less than 10 votes included SAD’s Manjit Singh Dhanna from Bhagta Bhai Ka and Mewa Singh from Lehra among others.
