The Aam Aadmi Party won a decisive victory in the Punjab civic elections on Friday, winning over 48 per cent of municipal wards and over 900 seats. The AAP was followed by the Congress, which remained far behind in second place with over 300 wards in its portfolio.
Meanwhile, the BJP finished fifth in the elections, behind the Independents and the Shiromani Akali Dal. After the landslide victory, AAP workers celebrated in front of party officers across the state, with workers dancing to the beat of the ‘dhol’ and distributing sweets.
AAP’s national conference coordinator Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of the state for votes supporting the party, while also taking a veiled jibe at the BJP, which he described as the “ED party”. “The ED party has been wiped out. The ED party, which had harassed people by launching several raids on small traders in Punjab, was today avenged by the people,” Kejriwal said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also hailed the party’s victory, saying the “politics of hate” had been defeated.
Read also | BJP candidates lose deposits in Punjab civic polls as RJD expands its dominance in urban areas
Partisan results
A total of 1,977 wards were voted in the civic polls. Here are the party results of Punjab civic polls up to 11 pm.
dad – 957
a company – 397
Indiana – 251
sad – 191
Bharatiya Janata Party – 167
Because of – 7
According to the Punjab State Election Commission, AAP won 957 of the total 1,977 wards, while the Congress stood second with 397 wards. The Independents finished third with 251 wards, followed by the Shiromani Akali Dal with 191 wards and the Bharatiya Janata Party with 167 wards. The Bahujan Samaj Party won seven wards.
Elections to the 102 municipal bodies, comprising 1,897 wards across eight municipal corporations of Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Bathala and Pathankot along with 75 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats, were held on May 26. Candidates were elected in 80 districts by acclamation. The final results for the eight municipal councils have not yet been announced.
Pathankot penetration, Mohali dominance
In Sangrur district, across four municipalities (Sonam, Dori, Bhawanigarh and Longowal) comprising 74 wards, AAP has registered irreplaceable leads, according to an earlier HT report. In Pathankot, which was a BJP stronghold, the party won 23 of the 50 constituencies, followed by the Congress with 12 and the BJP with eight.
In the Mohali Municipal Corporation, AAP established its absolute dominance by securing more than 20 of the 35 seats in the 50-ward civic council. Notable winners included Ward No. 6 candidate Sunny Singh Ahluwalia and Ward No. 42 candidate Sarabjit Singh Samana.
