India, June 5 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a slender advantage over the Congress in the closely fought urban local body elections and bypolls in Chhattisgarh, winning more nagar panchayat chairperson posts and councillor seats in results declared on Thursday, even as the Congress retained a strong presence across several regions.

The ruling BJP won three of the five nagar panchayat chairperson posts, and 39 of the 71 councillor seats that went to polls, while the Congress secured two chairperson posts and 30 councillor wards. Independent candidates won two councillor seats.

The results were declared for elections held on June 1 for newly constituted nagar panchayats and vacant posts in urban local bodies across the state....