Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 30: The Aam Aadmi Party registered a sweeping victory in Punjab's civic body elections, winning more than 48 per cent of the municipal wards and securing 957 seats across the state.
The Indian National Congress finished a distant second with 397 wards, while Independents secured 251 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal won 191 wards, pushing the Bharatiya Janata Party to fifth place with 167 seats. The Bahujan Samaj Party won seven wards.
Celebrations erupted at AAP offices across Punjab after the results were announced, with party workers distributing sweets and dancing to the beat of dhols.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal thanked voters for supporting the party and took a swipe at the BJP.
"The ED party has been wiped out. The ED party, which harassed people by conducting so many raids on small traders in Punjab, has today been avenged by the people," Kejriwal said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann hailed the victory and said the results reflected the defeat of what he termed "politics of hatred".
According to the Punjab State Election Commission, elections were held for 1,977 wards, including 1,897 wards across eight municipal corporations and several municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Candidates in 80 wards were elected unopposed.
The civic polls covered municipal corporations in Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala and Pathankot.
AAP recorded strong performances across several municipalities. In Sangrur district, the party established commanding leads in Sunam, Dhuri, Bhawanigarh and Longowal.
A significant breakthrough came in Pathankot, traditionally considered a BJP stronghold, where AAP won 23 of the 50 wards. Congress secured 12 wards, while the BJP managed eight.
In the Mohali Municipal Corporation, AAP established clear dominance by winning more than 20 of the 35 declared seats in the 50-member civic body. Among the prominent winners were Sunny Singh Ahluwalia from Ward No. 6 and Sarabjeet Singh Samana from Ward No. 42.
The final results for all eight municipal corporations are yet to be officially declared. However, the trends have already underlined AAP's continued electoral strength in Punjab and dealt a setback to its political rivals, particularly the BJP and the Akali Dal.