The ruling Aam Aadmi Party won more than 48% of the constituencies in the Punjab civic body elections, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday describing the results as an endorsement of his government’s development work and a rejection of the opposition’s “politics of hatred”.
According to Punjab State Election Commission data available till around 9.30 pm, AAP won 954 of the total 1,977 wards, while the Congress got 393 wards. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 192 wards and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 172 wards. Independent candidates won 251 wards and the BSP won seven. Results in eight sections are still awaited.
In the municipal council polls, the League registered decisive victories in Moga, Barnala, Bathinda and Batala, while it emerged as the single largest party in Mohali. The Congress gained a dominant position in Kapurthala, while the BJP emerged as the single largest party in Pathankot and Abohar.
The Punjab civic body election results are widely viewed as semi-final results ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
“The people of Punjab have defeated the hate politics of the opposition. They have rejected parties that indulge in divisive politics,” Mann said, adding that the ruling reflects support for the government’s development and welfare measures. AAP National Coordinator Arvind Kejriwal thanked voters for what he described as an “astonishing” victory.
Read also: What the Chadha-led rupture in AAP means for the BJP in Punjab: Just 2 MLAs in 2022, to 6 MLAs now, but with an ‘outsider’ tag
“Congratulations to everyone. By casting this historic vote, people praised the work of the Bhagwant Man government. We will continue to do good work in the same way in the future,” he said. In a swipe at the BJP, Mann and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said the party’s “ED policy” had failed in Punjab. Sisodia alleged that 1,142 BJP candidates had their security deposits confiscated.
But the opposition accused the Justice and Development Party government of misusing official apparatus during the elections. Polling was held in 102 municipal bodies on May 26 using ballot papers.
With PTI input
