The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance seemed on the way to sweep the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in the state as results trickled in for 173 of the 324 Zila Parishad zones and 141 panchayat samitis on Wednesday evening. The SAD(B)-BJP alliance bagged 154 seats with the Akalis, who face charges of massive rigging, hogging the lion’s share with 147 seats and the BJP managing eight. The Congress could garner only 11 seats, while Independents bagged seven. Till 9 in the evening, 85 per cent seats had gone to the Akalis, 6 per cent to Cong, and 5 per cent to BJP. The Akalis also managed to pocket 100 of the 141 panchayat samitis.While SAD(B) president Sukhbir Singh Badal called the results a mandate on good governance by the alliance, PPCC spokesman Bir Devinder Singh dismissed the polls as a farce. “It was the murder of democracy in broad daylight. Congress is very proud of the bravery with which its workers faced Akali goondaism,” he said, adding, even the Akali ally BJP had to face lawlessness. “Now they have been bribed by the CM to keep shut,” alleged Bir Devinder. “Congress workers and leaders,” he said, “will take a solemn oath at the historic Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to save the roots of democracy in Punjab.” It was Akalis all the way in Kapurthala with 10 out of 10 seats. They also fared very well wresting all the 15 seats in Bathinda, which saw widespread violence on the polling day and postponement of elections to one seat. In the CM’s home district of Muktsar too, the Akalis won 10 out of the 12 ZP seats.Akalis bagged seven out of the 10 seats at Nawanshahr where all the Assembly segments had gone to them last year. In Barnala, where Congress did well in the Assembly polls, Akalis grabbed eight out of the 10 ZP seats. The ruling alliance bagged 15 seats out of 20 in Ferozepur. At Jalandhar and Amritsar too, the Akalis were in the lead on more than two dozen seats.The BJP fared well on its own steam in Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur districts. The trends in the 141 zones of panchayat samitis also favour the ruling alliance, particularly the SAD(B).
