The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced mixed results in the Punjab civic polls, winning only one of the five municipal corporations outright, in Patiala. While the party emerged as the single largest in Jalandhar and Ludhiana, it failed to secure a majority in Sangrur, the home turf of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, raising concerns for the party’s leadership.
In Patiala, AAP secured 35 out of the 45 wards that went to polls, gaining a clear majority after elections in seven wards were deferred following a Punjab and Haryana High Court directive. The court had intervened after a viral video allegedly showed BJP candidate nomination papers being snatched. The Congress and BJP won four wards each, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) secured two.
In Sangrur, AAP managed only seven of the 29 wards, while Congress won nine and BJP three. Ten Independents emerged victorious, three reportedly backed by SAD, which chose not to contest directly. Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora dismissed allegations of malpractice, citing the Independent wins as proof of fair elections.
Ludhiana delivered another blow, with AAP winning 41 of 95 wards but facing embarrassment as the wives of sitting AAP MLAs, Sukhchain Kaur Gogi and Meenu Parashar, lost their bids. The Congress finished second in Ludhiana with 30 seats, followed by BJP (19) and SAD (2). In Jalandhar, AAP fell short of a majority, winning 39 of 85 seats, while Congress secured 34. The BJP, BSP, and Independents won 19, one, and two seats, respectively. Amritsar saw Congress dominate with 43 out of 85 seats, while AAP secured 24.
Phagwara produced a hung verdict, with Congress, in alliance with BSP, becoming the largest bloc with 25 seats. AAP won 12, BJP four, SAD three, and Independents six.
Finance Minister Harpal Cheema’s stronghold, Dirba Nagar Council, brought some relief for AAP, which won 11 of the 13 seats. Across the state, AAP claimed victory in 31 of the 41 municipal councils, with Congress taking two and Independents prevailing in eight.
AAP state chief and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora highlighted AAP’s performance, stating the party had gained significant ground in urban areas traditionally controlled by Congress and BJP. “We have shown exemplary results,” he said, pointing to AAP’s win in 522 of the 961 wards across the state. According to Arora, this represents 55 per cent of the total, compared to Congress’ 20 per cent, BJP’s 7 per cent, and SAD’s 3 per cent.
Congress leader Sandeep Singh Sandhu, however, dismissed AAP’s claims. “Winning just one corporation as the ruling party is not a triumph. They secured 92 of 117 seats in the 2022 Assembly polls. This is a sharp decline,” he remarked.
