'ED party' defeated: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann lauds AAP sweep in civic body polls
The AAP also showed a strong performance in Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's home turf of Dhuri, where it won 20 of the 21 seats
Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday swept the state with over 860 wards won out of the 1,765 that have been counted so far. The principal Opposition party, Congress, emerged a distant second with 348 of the 1,977 wards located in the 102 civic bodies that went to the polls on May 26.
Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday swept the state with over 860 wards won out of the 1,765 that have been counted so far. The principal Opposition party, Congress, emerged a distant second with 348 of the 1,977 wards located in the 102 civic bodies that went to the polls on May 26.
Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday swept the state with over 860 wards won out of the 1,765 that have been counted so far. The principal Opposition party, Congress, emerged a distant second with 348 of the 1,977 wards located in the 102 civic bodies that went to the polls on May 26.
Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday swept the state with over 860 wards won out of the 1,765 that have been counted so far.
The principal Opposition party, Congress, emerged a distant second with 348 of the 1,977 wards located in the 102 civic bodies that went to the polls on May 26.
Independents emerged in a close third with 242 wards, leaving behind the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with 169, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 138 respectively.
Notably, the AAP also showed a strong performance in Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's home turf of Dhuri, where it won 20 of the 21 seats.
"People of Punjab have defeated politics of hatred and supported developmental politics. They have rejected parties which indulge in divisive politics," CM Mann said in a press conference on Friday amid the counting.
"Even when combining the total votes of the Opposition parties (Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP), they don't reach the level of AAP ... The BJP has slipped down to fifth place. This victory is the victory of the free electricity being provided to the people, Aam Aadmi Clinics, good schools, and transparent jobs," he added, referring to the saffron party as the "ED party".
The elections to the 102 municipal bodies comprised 1,897 wards across eight municipal corporations of Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala and Pathankot, in addition to 75 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats.
The civic body polls, held using ballot papers on May 26, recorded a turnout of 63.94 per cent, and are seen as an important curtain raiser ahead of its Assembly elections in the state, which are scheduled for early 2027.
Former Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal also capitalised on the "ED party" jibe, referring to the alleged misuse of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in recent times, especially against AAP MPs, MLAs and ministers.
The AAP has even cited the alleged “misuse” of the probe agency by the Modi government for its leaders jumping ship, such as seven Rajya Sabha MPs led by Raghav Chadha moving to the BJP. or being sent to jails, such as Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora's money laundering charges.