AAP wins Patiala, struggles in Amritsar, Ludhiana as Punjab civic polls deliver mixed results

The Congress is poised to lead in Amritsar and Phagwara, with a clear majority when factoring in alliances. In Amritsar, Congress won 43 of the 85 wards, while in Phagwara, it secured 22 seats and is likely to ally with the BSP, which won three seats.

In Jalandhar, AAP claimed 39 of 85 seats, needing external support to appoint its mayor. Meanwhile, Ludhiana saw AAP win 41 of 95 seats, followed by Congress with 30 and BJP with 19, SAD with two.

In Patiala, which is the home ground of former CM Captain Amarinder Singh, his daughter and BJP Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur led an aggressive campaign. However the party could win only 4 wards here while AAP got a clear majority by winning 43 wards of the total 60. AAP’s candidates in eight wards were elected unopposed. As many as 45 wards had gone to polls on Saturday of which the AAP won 35, SAD won two wards and Congress and BJP won four each.

In Patiala, the government had to face a rap from the high court that had threatened to defer the elections in Patiala following a PIL stating that the government had used “excesses” and not allowed candidates of other parties to file nomination papers. Video of a BJP candidate had gone viral, when her papers were snatched and she was seen falling on the ground. A few police personnel were seen as mute spectators to the entire incident. The HC had directed the government to act against those police personnel also.

On Saturday also, Patiala saw complaints by Jai Inder Kaur who videotaped presence of two outsiders and AAP MLAs Gurlal Singh Ghanaur and Chetan Singh Journamajra in Patiala. She had complained to the election commission.

In Ludhiana, AAP faced embarrassment as the wives of two MLAs lost their contests. Meanwhile, Sangrur, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district, saw a fragmented verdict, with Independents winning the most seats.

In Sangrur, AAP could win only 7 of the 29 wards despite it being CM Bhagwant Mann’s home turf. Independents won 10 wards, followed by Congress at 9, BJP at 3. SAD didn’t contest on symbol and had backed independents. Sources said that three of the 10 winning Independents are Akali-backed candidates.

Since no party has a clear majority, Sangrur is slated to see a hung house. With AAP, BJP and Congress having less than 10 wards, Independents hold the key to Sangrur.

In Harpal Cheema’s Dirba Municipal Council, AAP won 11 of 13 seats. One of the rest two went to BJP and one to an Independent.

AAP’s state chief Aman Arora said that AAP had created history in Punjab’s local body elections, securing over 50% of the wards across 977 constituencies. This resounding victory is a testament to AAP’s pro-people governance and commitment to transparent politics,” stated AAP Punjab President Aman Arora.

Arora congratulated AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, and all winning candidates on X. “Heartfelt congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal ji, Bhagwant Mann ji, and all the winning candidates for AAP Punjab’s splendid victory in the municipal elections. I sincerely thank all our workers for their relentless efforts. I expect all the elected councillors to remain dedicated to public service and development,” he tweeted.

He also lauded the party’s performance, stating that it had created history by winning over 50% of wards across Punjab. However, he dismissed speculation of an alliance with Congress in Punjab, clarifying that their INDIA bloc partnership is limited to the national level.

Arora criticised the BJP, Congress, and Shiromani Akali Dal, claiming they had struggled to find candidates. He praised the Election Commission for conducting transparent polls and credited AAP’s governance model for the party’s gains.