Punjab municipal polls: AAP wins Patiala; Congress ahead in Amritsar

Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party won the municipal elections in Patiala and was leading in Ludhiana and Jalandhar, while the Congress was ahead in Phagwara and Amritsar.

Elections to five municipal corporations -- Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar and Phagwara -- and 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab took place on Saturday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to elect its mayor in Patiala as it won 43 out of 53 wards. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won four wards each, while the Shiromani Akali Dal won two wards, as per the results declared on Saturday night.

 

AAP was also leading in Ludhiana, where it won 42 out of 95 wards. Congress registered victory in 29 wards, followed by BJP in 19, Independents 3 and SAD 2, as per the results.

AAP was also ahead in Jalandhar, winning 39 out of 85 wards, with Congress and BJP winning 24 and 19 wards, respectively.

However, Congress was ahead in Amritsar and Phagwara. In Amritsar, Congress won 40 wards while AAP could register victory in 28 and BJP in 10 out of the total 85 wards.

In Phagwara, though no political party was able to touch the mark of 26 in the 50-ward municipal corporation, Congress emerged as the largest party by winning 22 wards. AAP won 12 wards while BJP won 4 and SAD 3. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won three wards.

Punjab AAP President Aman Arora claimed that his party has created history in the local body elections, securing over 50 per cent of the 977 wards that went to the polls.

"This resounding victory is a testament to AAP's pro-people governance and commitment to transparent politics," Arora said in a statement.

He also congratulated AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and the winning candidates for the election results.

"Heartfelt congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal ji, Bhagwant Mann ji, and all the winning candidates for Punjab AAP'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 said.

"We have performed exceptionally well in Patiala and Jalandhar, while results in the smaller corporations like Phagwara were not entirely in our favour.

"Akali Dal and BJP have been completely wiped out. BJP's illusion of dominance in the urban areas has been shattered, as people have shown them the mirror," Arora said.

Polling began at 7 am on Saturday and continued till 4 pm amid tight security arrangements. Till 3 pm, the average turnout was 55 per cent.

More than 3,300 candidates were in the fray and a total of 3,809 polling booths were set up for the civic polls.

A total of 37.32 lakh voters, including 17.75 lakh females, were eligible to cast their vote in the elections conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Among political leaders who exercised their franchise were BJP's Tarun Chugh, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Ludhiana MLA Ashok Prashar and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh.

Opposition parties BJP and SAD alleged casting of fake votes at the behest of AAP at many places in Patiala, a charge denied by the ruling party.

There were also reports of scuffles and heated exchanges between AAP and BJP supporters in Patiala.

BJP candidate from Ward No. 34 in Patiala, Sushil Nayyar, threatened to self-immolate after alleging that fake votes were being cast at a polling booth.

BJP leader Jai Inder Kaur alleged that some outsiders were roaming around in Patiala, demanding police action against them.

After Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nanak Singh reached the spot, Kaur and BJP supporters were seen arguing with the officer, claiming that some people were being allowed to enter polling booths without proper verification and they were casting fake votes.

"Nobody was stopping them. And who is responsible for it," asked a BJP supporter.

"Videography of polling is taking place," the SSP responded.

Earlier, Kaur, who's the daughter of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, alleged that AAP MLAs Chetan Singh Jauramajra and Gurlal Ghanaur were outsiders to Ward No. 40, yet they were present in the area.

The party also lodged a complaint against Jauramajra and Gurlal with the state election commission, seeking registration of an FIR against the duo for violating model code of conduct.

The BJP also claimed some miscreants targeted its party nominee from Ward No. 40 at AAP's behest.

Even SAD claimed that its booth in Ward No. 15 in Patiala was vandalised.

The BJP also sought registration of an FIR against Mani Warring, brother of AAP MLA Garry Warring, and AAP supporters for alleged bogus voting in Ward No. 9 at Amloh in Fatehgarh Sahib.