New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS): On a day it faced a rout in the Punjab local bodies polls, the BJP said that misuse of state machinery had helped the Congress sweep the polls in the state.

The ruling Congress in Punjab won seven municipal corporations of Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, Pathankot, Batala and Bathinda for which results were declared on Wednesday.

Vice president of BJP's Delhi unit Virender Sachdeva, who oversaw the poll for the party in Hoshiarpur, told IANS that the Congress won the municipal polls by misusing state machinery.

"State machinery under pressure from the Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh had used all dirty tricks in the books to stop the BJP. By misusing state machinery, the Congress government killed the spirit of democracy," said Sachdeva, also the vice president of party's Delhi unit.

Listing the misuse of government machinery, another BJP leader said, "First, nominations of our party candidates were cancelled. Lately, BJP candidates were not allowed to campaign and in many places they were attacked. Those attacked include our state unit chief. Despite this, we performed well in the polls."

The BJP has been routed in the first polls held in Punjab amid the ongoing farmers' agitation in which farmers from the state are actively participating. The party said that once the final result is analysed, it will find out the impact of farmers' protest.

Interestingly, the BJP which was considered a party of urban areas, failed to make its presence felt. It was also the first polls in the state in which the BJP has contested alone after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD, one of its oldest alliance partners, walked away over the new farm bills.

Party leaders in the state, however, claimed that despite the defeat, the BJP presence has been felt across many new areas. "Our candidates in several parts of the state received votes where we have contested for the first time. In future we will consolidate our presence in these areas," said a BJP leader.