Chandigarh, March 13 -- Former Haryana Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday downplayed the BJP's performance in the Haryana Municipal Elections, stating that the party had won previously as well.

"BJP won before also. What is new in this?... We never said that we contested these elections seriously... Even when I was the Chief Minister, I never participated in the Panchayat elections. Only brotherhood works in these elections... The result would have been a loss for us if we had a seat (in local bodies) and lost it... Mostly independent candidates stand in these elections," he said.

On Wednesday, as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept nine mayoral posts in the municipal elections, Haryana Chief Min...