Chandigarh, May 29
Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won more than 48 per cent of wards across urban local bodies, according to results available late on Friday evening.
With counting nearing completion, the Punjab State Election Commission said AAP had secured 954 of the 1,977 wards contested. The Congress finished a distant second with 393 wards, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 192 wards and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 172. Independent candidates registered a strong showing by winning 251 wards, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won seven wards.
Results for eight wards were still awaited at the time of reporting.
The outcome is being viewed as a significant boost for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections due early next year.
Speaking after the results, Mann said voters had endorsed his government’s development-focused policies and rejected what he described as divisive politics.
“The people of Punjab have defeated the politics of hatred and given their approval to the development work carried out by our government,” he said.
AAP delivered particularly strong performances in the municipal corporations of Moga, Barnala, Bathinda and Batala, winning 30, 36, 31 and 30 wards respectively. In Mohali, the party emerged as the single largest group with 26 wards in the 50-member corporation.
The Congress retained influence in several pockets and secured a commanding victory in Kapurthala, where it won 31 wards. The BJP emerged as the largest party in Pathankot and Abohar, winning 22 and 28 wards respectively.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal described the result as a “spectacular victory” and thanked voters for backing the party’s governance model.
He said the verdict reflected public approval of the Mann government’s performance and pledged to continue pursuing the same development agenda.
Kejriwal also targeted the BJP, accusing it of using central agencies against political opponents and traders.
Celebrations broke out at AAP offices across the state, with supporters distributing sweets and dancing to the beat of drums. Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said voters had once again expressed confidence in both Kejriwal and Mann.
The opposition, however, disputed the fairness of the electoral process. Congress, SAD and BJP leaders accused the ruling party of abusing state machinery and exerting undue influence during the campaign and polling process.
Polling for the elections was held on 26 May using ballot papers across 102 urban local bodies, including eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats. Voter turnout stood at 63.94 per cent.
Of the 1,977 wards, candidates in 80 were elected unopposed. A total of 7,554 candidates contested the elections.
Several local contests attracted particular attention because of their political significance.
In Dhuri, Chief Minister Mann’s home constituency, AAP won 19 of the 21 municipal council wards, with independents taking the remaining two.
In Gidderbaha, regarded as a stronghold of Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, AAP captured 17 of 19 wards, leaving Congress with just two.
Congress performed better in Chamkaur Sahib, winning seven of the council’s 13 wards. AAP and independent candidates won three wards each. The town is closely associated with former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
In Majitha, AAP won seven wards while SAD secured six, indicating that the Akali Dal continues to retain influence in some urban areas. The constituency is linked to senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
Among notable winners were AAP candidate Sunny Ahluwalia from Ward No. 6 in Mohali and Sarabjeet Singh, son of AAP MLA Kulwant Singh, from Ward No. 42.
One of the prominent defeats was that of Kanwarbir Singh Sidhu, son of former Punjab health minister and Congress leader Balbir Singh Sidhu, who lost from Ward No. 10 in Mohali.
Political observers had described the civic polls as a crucial test of public sentiment towards the Mann government. While the results strengthened AAP’s position ahead of the next Assembly elections, they also highlighted pockets of resilience for the Congress and SAD.
For the BJP, which had hoped to expand its footprint in Punjab’s urban centres and build momentum ahead of the 2027 Assembly election, the outcome was viewed as below expectations.
The results, meanwhile, offered some encouragement to the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD, suggesting that despite recent electoral setbacks, the party continues to retain a measure of support in key urban constituencies.
