The Congress was facing defeat in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections as counting of votes took place Monday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) combine made major gains as results started coming out.
Of the 26 wards of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the BJP-Akali Dal candidates had won or were leading in at least 16 seats till 11 a.m.
The Congress, which was in power in the outgoing corporation house, won only seven seats.
The results are seen as a major setback to union minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Chandigarh MP Pawan Kumar Bansal. Most of the losing candidates like former mayor Anu Chatrath, Harmohinder Singh Lucky, Davinder Singh Babla and others were considered close to Bansal.
In the remaining three wards, two Independents and one Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate were leading.
All results for the wards, for which polling took place Dec 17, are expected later in the afternoon, an election official said here.