Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 29 (ANI): With the Aam Aadmi Party registering a strong performance in the Punjab local body elections, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that even if the seats won by the BJP, Akali Dal, and Congress are combined, they can’t equal that of AAP.
Mann, who addressed a press conference, extended greetings to the people of Punjab on “rejecting those parties that seek to divide people along religious or caste lines.”
“I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the people of Punjab. They have rejected the politics of hatred and have instead given a resounding mandate in favour of development. I wish to congratulate them for rejecting those parties that seek to divide people along religious or caste lines and recognise AAP’s secular administration,” he said.
He expressed confidence that Aam Aadmi Party will win around 1,000 seats.
“If we combine the votes and seats of the Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP altogether, they still do not equal the Aam Aadmi Party. The Aam Aadmi Party will win around 1,000 seats. We have won 890 according to the latest information. The results for 150 are still pending,” he said.
“More than 90% of the Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats have been won by the Aam Aadmi Party,” he said.
Counting of votes for the Punjab civic body elections began across multiple counting centres in the state amid elaborate security arrangements.
Polling for 75 Municipal Councils and 20 Nagar Panchayats across Punjab was held on May 26. A total of 7,555 candidates contested the elections for various Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats in the state.
According to election officials, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had fielded 1,801 candidates, and Congress 1,550. They said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had 1,316 candidates in the fray, and the Shiromani Akali Dal had fielded 1,251 candidates for the civic body polls. (ANI)
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