Yograj bowled on Panchkula pitch,INLD bags Kalka

Former Deputy Chief Minister Chandermohan had won the Kalka seat in 2005 Assembly elections by a massive margin of 61,476 votes. After delimitation,the constituency was divided into Kalka and Panchkula.

Of the 1,43623 voters in Panchkula,82,551 had exercised their franchise with a voter turnout of 59.13%,while Kalka has 1,22433 voters and recorded 71% turnout.

The counting of the votes began at BHEL Colony Community Center and Government College for Girls,for Panchkula and Kalka constituencies respectively,at 8 am and the results were out by 12.30 pm.

In Panchkula,Bansal maintained a handsome lead through the 11 rounds of counting before he was declared the winner.

While Bansal polled 29,192 votes,Yograj got 16,932 votes.

The BJP,which fielded former Chandigarh Mayor Gian Chand Gupta as its candidate,stood third with 15,717 votes.

Shashi Sharma,a Congress dissident who had joined Haryana Janhit Congress,could mange only 12,922 votes.

Of the 94,642 votes polled in Kalka,Chaudhary got 41,625 votes,while Rana could manage only 20,438 votes.

Congress rebel Bhagat Singh,who contested the elections as an Independent candidate polled 16,771 votes,while Vijay Bansal,a former Congress leader,who fought on the ticket of Bahujan Samaj Party polled merely 4,975 votes.

Soon after the result was out,Congress supporters in Panchkula held a victory rally raising slogans in support of Bansal. He thanked the voters for trusting him and voting him to power. “People from both rural and urban areas supported the Congress,” said Bansal.

“I am grateful to them and assure that I will remain dedicated to the service of people of the constituency for the rest of my life,” added the Congress candidate.

A sitting MLA from Ambala Cantonment,Bansal,despite being termed an outsider by the Opposition,won by a comfortablemargin.

Supporters of Chaudhary distributed sweets and burst crackers. Chaudhary said he would work for the overall development of the constituency.

Report card
Panchkula
DK Bansal (Congress) 29192
Yograj Singh (INLD) 16932
Gian Chand Gupta (BJP) 15717
Shashi Sharma (HJC) 12922
Sanjeev Bhardwaj (BSP) 3177

Kalka
Pradeep Chaudhary (INLD) 41,625
Satvinder Rana (Congress) 20,438
Bhagat Singh (Ind) 16,771
Vijay Bansal (BSP) 4,975
Ram Gopal Mehta (HJC) 4,854