Chandigarh, Dec. 19 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had once again failed to make a significant impact in the rural polls, with the party struggling even in its traditional bastions. In the zila parishad polls, the BJP could win only seven out of 347 seats, while in the block samitis, the party secured 73 seats out of the total 2,838. Among block samitis, BJP's best performance was said to be in Fazilka and Pathankot-home districts of state party chief Sunil Jakhar and working president Ashwani Sharma. In the Abohar district, the BJP won three zila parishad seats, whereas three seats have come from Pathankot district, including one from Pathankot constituency and two in Sujanpur. Out of the total 73 block samiti seats won by the BJP, 30 seats have come from these areas. In the rest of the areas traditionally contested by the BJP, the party failed miserably. In the Dasuya and Mukerian, the BJP could win five seats of block samitis. "It's a setback for us when we are claiming to contest all assembly seats in the upcoming 2027 polls. It's a fact that state government machinery pressure was there, but results have shown us in very poor light," admitted a senior BJP leader from the Doaba region. Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma said his party, despite unprecedented use of government machinery, has managed to leave a mark. "The biggest gain for us in these polls is that we have been able to mark our presence in those areas which were considered inaccessible to us. BJP booths and the party symbol has reached all rural areas, and we are no longer a party of urban areas," Sharma said...