Haryana polls: Congress reclaims Panchkula, BJP triumphs in Kalka

In a dramatic election day for Panchkula district, Congress candidate Chander Mohan Bishnoi secured a narrow victory in Panchkula, ending a decade-long political exile with a margin of just 1,976 votes.
Bishnoi, 58, who garnered 67,253 votes, making up 47.97% vote share, defeated incumbent BJP MLA and Haryana assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta, 76, who was gunning for a hat-trick, but trailed with 65,277 votes, a 46.55% vote share.
Congress’ victory marked a significant shift in voter sentiment, as Panchkula constituency previously had always aligned with the ruling party at the Centre.
While Congress celebrated its resurgence in Panchkula segment, the BJP triumphed in the neighbouring Kalka constituency, where Shakti Rani Sharma defeated Congress’ incumbent MLA Pardeep Chaudhary, 63, by a substantial 10,883 votes.
Sharma, 71, the only woman candidate in Kalka, secured 41.51% vote share by polling 60,612 votes. Though she was trailing to Independent candidate Gopal Sukhomajri in the first three rounds of counting, she maintained a sustained lead since the fourth round. Her winning margin started shrinking from the 12th round onwards but she eventually managed to win by a convincing margin.
Targeted by her rival Pardeep Chaudhary, who polled 49,729 votes (34.06% vote share), for being an outsider, she kept her campaign focused on holistic development of Kalka, for which she shared her road map, including a manifesto specific to each of the four blocks in the constituency.
Chander Mohan’s victory in Panchkula was fuelled by a strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the BJP. After a decade away from Panchkula’s political landscape, having not won any election after 2009, he fought for political survival while vowing to fulfil his late father’s vision of making Panchkula the “Paris of Haryana”.
“I have been given a huge responsibility by the people and I will live up to their expectations,” announced a heavily garlanded Chander Mohan after his win.
BJP candidate Gian Chand Gupta, meanwhile, acknowledged his defeat but expressed satisfaction over his party’s achievement in forming a government in Haryana for the third consecutive term.
Close contest keeps parties on the edge
Confident of a win, the Congress was upbeat as Chander Mohan was leading in the first three rounds of counting, while Gian Chand Gupta trailed.
Gupta’s nervousness turned into a confident smile as he gained lead from the fourth round and the margin consistently rose till round 10. However, the saffron party began registering a dip in the winning margin from round 11 onwards, which continued till round 13.
The Congress regained the lead in round 14, advancing by just 92 votes, making it anyone’s game. However, Congress maintained a solid lead through the 17th and final round, ultimately securing Mohan’s victory.