The results of the local body elections in Punjab, considered a semifinal ahead of next year's assembly polls, gave a huge boost to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after it won roughly 48 per cent of the municipal bodies.
According to the State Election Commission (SEC), the party won 958 of the 1,977 municipal wards, which went to polls on May 26. The AAP now has set its eyes on the 2027 assembly elections, hoping to retain Punjab for a second straight term.
However, the results are blow to the Congress, as the grand old party has registered victories on just 397 wards, becoming a distant second. The results have only exposed the faultlines in the Congress, as the grand old party even lost 17 of the 19 wards in the Gidderbaha Municipal Council, which is considered a stronghold of Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
Warring, who although congratulated party workers, had campaigned extensively ahead of the polling but Congress' loss in Gidderbaha is a humiliating setback for him.
The faultlines exposed in Congress
Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Chann, during a meeting on Friday, reportedly pointed out party's Gidderbaha performance. He reportedly raised questions on how would the party do well in 2027 assembly polls if it could not win in Gidderbaha, which is a bastion of Warring.
But Warring has described party's performance as praiseworthy. Speaking to reporters on Friday, he also alleged that the AAP was able to register a victory after it rejected the nomination papers of many Congress candidates and by intimidating the voters.
"The Municipal corporation elections have taken place in Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar. Our performance in them was praiseworthy.... 750 documents were rejected in Punjab... They contested unopposed in 80 seats," he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress held a key meeting at party president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi to discuss the local body election results. The meeting was also attended by Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Bhupesh Baghel. It later said the meeting was regular one, as the party is now eyeing the 2027 Punjab polls.
"Extensive discussions took place on strategy and how we should reach out to the people of Punjab. Punjab is a very important state, both for the Congress party and for the country. Kharge ji, Rahul ji and Venugopal ji have given us directions regarding the steps we need to take to secure victory in the state. Very soon, we will prepare programmes and enter the field," Baghel told reporters.
AAP buoyed by results
Meanwhile, the ruling AAP is buoyed by the results and hopes to retain power in Punjab in 2027 for a second consecutive term. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the results are a glimpse of what will happen in 2027. Senior leader Manish Sisodia thanked the people and said they have reposed their faith in AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Mann.
Kejriwal, a former Delhi chief minister, also thanked the people for AAP's "spectacular" victory. "Congratulations to everyone. By casting this historic vote, the people have applauded the work of the Bhagwant Mann government. We will continue to do good work in the same way in the future," he said.
Assembly elections will take place in Punjab next year, along with those in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In the previous elections in 2022, the AAP registered a thumping victory winning 92 out of the 117 assembly constituencies. On the other hand, the Congress had won just 18 seats.
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