SAD-BJP sweep Punjab rural polls

The counting of ballot paper votes was continuing at some places till the filing of this report. According to available results,out of the total 331 ZP zones falling in 22 zila parishads,the SAD-BJP won 199 (182 SAD,17 BJP) seats. The Congress won 15,PPP two and Independent two.

Of the total 2,732 panchayat samiti seats in 146 panchayat blocks,out of the declared seats SAD-BJP won 1,536 seats, Congress 232,BSP 12,PPP 16,CPI six,and others 49.

SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal termed his party’s victory as the “death of Congress as a political party in Punjab and a “knock-out in the very first round for the new PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa”.

Talking to The Indian Express Sukhbir Singh Badal said the verdict given by the people of rural Punjab was encouraging. “This shows that we are on the right track and we have lived up to the expectations of the people,” he said.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said this was a befitting reply to the negative politics played by Bajwa.

The Congress chief,on the other hand,termed the results a “murder of democracy”.

The Congress had joined hands with the PPP and BSP for these elections. While Bajwa and senior party leaders had extensively campaigned across the state,the Badals had not canvassed at all. The Congress lost heavily to SAD in Majha but put up a brave fight in Doaba,especially in Jalandhar,Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala.

The Congress witnessed its revival in Malwa at the block samiti level. In Ludhiana,Patiala and Sangrur,the Congress has given the Akalis something to worry about. Malwa is the traditional Akali stronghold and in the last Assembly elections Malwa had voted for the Akalis.

In Jalalabad,Sukhbir’s constituency,of the total 24 panchayat samit seats,SAD won 22 and the BJP two. In Lambi,the CM’s constituency,SAD won all the 21 panchayat samiti seats. In Qadian,Bajwa’s constituency,of the total 15 panchayat samitis,SAD won 12 and the Congress three.

The BJP has put up an impressive show in Gurdaspur. BJP state chief Kamal Sharma said his party had improved its performance and the results were a prelude to the routing of the Congress in the parliamentary polls.