Sonipat Municipal Corporation election results LIVE: Vote counting begins, 9 mayoral candidates in fray

The BJP has suffered its first setback in the Sonipat Municipal Corporation election. Congress candidate Jayakuwar Khatri has won from Ward No. 1, defeating BJP candidate Hariprakash Saini by a margin of 270 votes. Khatri secured 3,240 votes, while Saini received 2,970 votes.

A neck-and-neck fight has emerged between BJP's Rajeev Jain and Congress' Kamal Diwan as counting continues for the Sonipat Municipal Corporation election. Both candidates remain locked in a tight battle with two votes each. 

Ward No. 8 is drawing special attention with former BJP councillor Puneet Rai contesting independently after being denied a ticket. Political circles are keen to see whether his personal influence outweighs party affiliation. This ward is likely to report one of the earliest decisive trends.

Nine candidates vying for the Mayor's post are closely watching early trends expected within the first hour of counting. Both the BJP and Congress camp offices are buzzing with anticipation. Independent candidates are also hoping for surprise breakthroughs in key pockets.

Who are the nine Mayor candidates:

1. Anand Kumar -- INLD
2. Kamal Diwan -- Congress
3. Rajeev Jain -- BJP
4. Anal Singhal -- Independent
5. Dr Kamlesh Kumar Saini -- Independent
6. Chand Ram -- Independent
7. Ramesh Kumar Khatri Lambardar -- Independent
8. Sant Dharmveer Chotiwala -- Independent
9. Hawa Singh -- Independent

Though the fight is mainly between the BJP and Congress, several independents are positioned strongly in their respective wards. Their performance may influence the overall political balance within the municipal corporation. A couple of wards may even witness shock outcomes.

With multiple strong contenders, the mayoral contest is likely to produce some surprises. Analysts believe voter behaviour this year was strongly influenced by hyperlocal issues rather than broad party narratives. The decisive lead may only appear in later rounds.

Out of 110 initial contestants, only 88 councillor candidates remain after scrutiny failures and strategic withdrawals. With local issues dominating the campaign narrative, voters' preferences will now translate into ward-level power shifts. Counting officials expect clearer indications by mid-morning.

Both major parties have established digital war rooms to capture real-time, round-by-round updates from counting agents. Data teams are analysing booth-wise patterns as they emerge. Leaders are expected to issue first reactions once initial trends stabilise.

Most of the 22 wards in Sonipat are witnessing a straight fight between the BJP and Congress. While Congress introduced 19 new candidates, the BJP fielded 10 fresh faces hoping to reset local equations. The results will show how well these strategies worked on the ground.

A strong turnout of over 2.96 lakh voters suggests a neck-and-neck race for both Mayor and councillor seats. Political observers expect multiple wards to witness extremely narrow victory margins. Parties have stationed their workers near counting sites to track minute-by-minute developments.

Election staff are processing votes in multiple rounds per ward to ensure accuracy. Each round is being recorded and cross-verified digitally. Final results for councillor seats may only be declared around noon or later.

The district administration has deployed additional police forces to maintain order around counting centres. Barricades, CCTV monitoring, and restricted movement zones are in place to avoid crowding. So far, no disruptions have been reported from any location, officials said.

Counting for the Sonipat Municipal Corporation elections will begin shortly under heavy security deployment. With 2.96 lakh voters having exercised their franchise across 22 wards, early trends are expected to shape the high-stakes battle between the BJP and Congress. Officials said adequate arrangements are in place to ensure smooth counting across all centres.