AAP Wins Patiala, Faces Setbacks in Panjab Civic Polls

AAP faced mixed outcomes in the recent Panjab civic poll results. The party won only one of the five municipal corporations—Patiala. AAP emerged as the single largest party in Jalandhar and Ludhiana but remains short of majority votes. Despite allegations by BJP and SAD of fake voting, Panjab AAP chief Aman Arora announced that the party secured 55% of the total wards, winning 522 out of 977 wards across five corporations, 41 councils, and nagar panchayats (local councils), compared to INC’s 20% (191 wards), BJP’s 7% (69 wards), and SAD’s 3% (31 wards). Despite this, AAP failed to achieve a majority in Sangrur which is CM Bhagwant Singh Mann’s home turf, winning merely seven of 29 wards. Additionally, AAP suffered setbacks as the wives of two sitting AAP MLAs lost their respective seats in Ludhiana. In contrast, the BJP made notable gains, particularly in semi-rural areas, securing victories in multiple wards, as well as in nagar panchayats like Bhadson (Patiala) and Bhikhi (Mansa). BJP’s success included defeating prominent AAP candidates such as Poonam Ratra in Ludhiana’s Ward 77. Meanwhile, the SAD experienced a significant decline, winning only 3% of the seats with 31 victories out of 977 wards, while independent candidates emerged victorious in approximately 15% of the wards. INC led in Amritsar and Phagwara, with the party winning 43 out of 85 wards in Amritsar and 22 out of 50 wards in Phagwara, often supported by Independents. The results have raised concerns about AAP’s dominance. INC leader Sandeep Singh Sandhu said after AAP’s significant victories in the 2022 Assembly polls, these results are a climbdown.