Chandigarh: The ruling Congress has swept the municipal polls in Punjab, winning six of the eight municipal corporations up for grabs and emerging as the largest party in a seventh, Moga. The eighth, Mohali, will have its results declared Thursday.
The Congress has also won a majority of the 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, but details of these are still awaited.
The results mean that Congress’ worst fears about the AAP getting renewed momentum because of its involvement in the farmers’ agitation proved to be unfounded, as the principal opposition party in Punjab came in a distant third, far behind the Shiromani Akali Dal, which was perceived to have lost ground because of its alliance with the BJP at the Centre.
Overall, the Congress won 1,373 of the 2,218 seats that went to the polls, followed by the SAD (285), AAP (60), BJP (49) and BSP (5). Independents won 392 seats.
After the AAP’s good performances in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the 2017 assembly elections, its fortunes had been sliding in Punjab, but it seemed to have found a way to bounce back by actively supporting the farmers’ agitation. AAP leaders, including party convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had been welcomed by the protesting farmers on the outskirts of the national capital while Congress leaders were kept at an arm’s length, with party MP Ravneet Bittu being manhandled when he visited Singhu Border.
Congress leaders in Punjab were extremely worried about the likelihood of the AAP’s resurgence. So, while SAD’s poor performance was on expected lines, AAP’s dismal performance came as a big surprise.
These were the first polls held in Punjab since the farmers began their agitation against the Narendra Modi government’s new laws on agriculture, and the results made it clear that not just rural voters but urban ones too are angry with the BJP. These were also the first elections since the decades-old SAD-BJP alliance split up — over the farm laws — and the results are significant, given that assembly elections are to be held in about a year’s time.
Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said the spectacular victory was a validation of his party’s development policies, and that the rejection of “anti-people” BJP, SAD and AAP showed people’s angst on the farmers’ issue. He credited state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar for the win.
‘Spectacular @INCPunjab victory in #PunjabMunicipalElection2021 validation of our development policies & rejection of anti-people @BJP4India, @Akali_Dal_ & @AamAadmiParty, shows people’s angst on farmers’ issue’: @capt_amarinder. Thanks @sunilkjakhar & party workers for win. pic.twitter.com/3lVI00rB3w
— Raveen Thukral (@RT_MediaAdvPbCM) February 17, 2021
Also read: The problem Rahul Gandhi has created for Amarinder Singh in Punjab by backing farmer protests
SAD & BJP’s loss is Congress’ gain
The elections to the 117 municipal bodies — eight corporations and 109 councils and nagar panchayats — were held on 14 February. Apart from Moga, where no single party has got a majority, the Congress will have mayors in all other corporations.
The state witnessed a voter turnout of 71.39 per cent, an all-time high according to the state election commission.
A majority of the municipal bodies won by the Congress Wednesday were held by the SAD and BJP, whose alliance had swept these polls in 2015 when it ruled the state.
Of the 351 corporation seats for which results were declared, the Congress won 271. The Akalis won 33 corporation seats, BJP 20 and AAP nine.
In the 2015 elections, of the 301 corporation seats, the SAD-BJP had won 167 while the Congress had won 68. Of the 2,037 seats in the smaller municipal bodies, the SAD-BJP had won 1,161 while the Congress had won 253.
The Congress’ most facile victory came in the Abohar municipal corporation, where it won 49 of the 50 seats. This came as a boost to state Congress chief Jakhar, who has represented the Abohar assembly seat several times. Abohar has been upgraded from a council to a corporation after 2015, when the SAD-BJP had won the council. The BJP had then won 12 of the 33 seats.
In the Pathankot municipal corporation too, the BJP has been virtually routed, winning only 11 of the 50 seats, while the Congress won 37. The corporation was, until now, held by the BJP, which had won 29 seats in 2015. The Pathankot assembly segment has been a traditional stronghold of the BJP, and its current Punjab chief Ashwani Sharma was MLA from here in 2012.
In Hoshiarpur, another BJP stronghold, the party has won only three seats while the Congress won 41 out of 50. The BJP MP from Hoshiarpur, Som Parkash, is a Union Minister of State, and was initially actively trying to mediate between the agitating farmers and the central government. In the last elections, the SAD-BJP had together held 27 seats in Hoshiarpur.
The newly formed Batala corporation, part of the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat held by actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol of the BJP, has also been won by the Congress. The SAD-BJP had won all 35 seats when it was a council in 2015.
In Bathinda, from where Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal is the MLA, the Congress has won 43 of the 50 seats. Badal tweeted that for the first time in 53 years, the city will have a Congress mayor.
History has been made today!
Bathinda will get a Congress Mayor for the 1st time in 53 years!
Thank you to ALL Bathinda residents.
Congratulations to the people of Bathinda for a spectacular victory.
Kudos to all Congress candidates and workers, who toiled for this day. pic.twitter.com/Xvczq5MjfU
— Manpreet Singh Badal (@MSBADAL) February 17, 2021
The performance of the Akalis was also being watched in Bathinda because former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal is the MP for this area, and it is considered to be an Akali stronghold. In the 2015 elections, 30 of the 50 wards were won by the SAD-BJP while the Congress had won 10. This time the Akalis have won just seven seats.
The BJP also lost its hold on Fazilka, Ferozepur, Dinanagar, Sujanpur, Mukerian, Banga, Nangal and Rajpura.
Among the few negatives for the Congress, there was a defeat for state minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s brother Sukhwant Singh Sukha — he lost by only 13 votes in Kharar, where he had earlier served as president of the municipal council.
In Moga, the Congress won 20 of the 50 seats, with 15 going to the Akalis. Jakhar said since the Congress was the single-largest party, it would bring back into its fold some of the 10 Independent candidates who were victorious. However, there was another embarrassment for the Congress there as the sitting MLA Harjot Kamal Singh’s wife lost her seat.
The results for the Mohali municipal corporation, which had thrown up a fractured mandate in 2015, will be declared Thursday as re-elections were ordered in two of its wards.
Also read: How faction-ridden AAP in Punjab is looking to turn farmers’ agitation into an advantage
How Akalis & AAP fared
The Akalis lost their control over Jalalabad, the assembly segment previously represented by party chief Sukhbir Badal several times. Now an MP from Ferozepur, Badal’s car was attacked when he had accompanied the Jalalabad candidates to file the nomination papers. In 2015, the SAD-BJP had won 16 of the 17 seats there.
The SAD also lost its dominance in several traditional strongholds like Maluka, Mansa, Muktsar, Malout, Guru Har Sahai, Arniwala, Jaitu, Badhni Kalan, Kot Ise Khan and Sardulgarh. The party is, however, drawing comfort from the fact that it continues to remain the biggest challenger to the ruling Congress.
“Our workers battled unprecedented repression, money bags & govt machinery & yet emerged as a force to reckon with. Writing on the wall : 2022 elections on – Congress gone,” Sukhbir Badal tweeted.
My heartiest thanks & congratulations to brave @Akali_Dal_ warriors who asserted themselves and emerged as the most powerful and the only challengers to the corrupt and incompetent Congress rulers in civic poll.#MunicipalElections
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) February 17, 2021
The AAP, which was expecting to do much better and hoping to gain mileage out of the farmers’ agitation, will obviously have to do much more. The party’s state chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann could not whip up a victory for its candidates in Sangrur, Malerkotla, Sunam, Dhuri and Lehragaga, which fall in his constituency.
Also read: ‘Can’t afford to let Jats go away’ — BJP to meet khaps to clear ‘misconceptions’ on farm laws
aCUSE aBUSE pARTY provided biryani and mineral water to anti CAA PROTESTORS and later provided manpower for RIOTING.
Later it provides material support to 1 percent trouble makers to attack DELHI police .
AK is upset that he had to learn “HANUMAN CHALISA ” to win HINDU votes and couldn’t spend his time with people he identifies with. And now again the HINDUS seemingly have voted against him in Punjab fearing his closeness to violent protestors .
Delhi Hindu voters must think how safe they will be under a megalomaniac.
@vimal all you guys have is bhakt this and bhakt that.
My man vashish and yashj kalsi is speaking the truth
Congress won because the other alternative was aCUSE aBUSE pARTY who we all know has finance and support of unscrupulous anti INDIA elements from foreign countries. aCUSE aBUSE pARTY support to anti CAA PROTESTORS and rioters in DELHI AND later support not to farmers but violent protestors to attack DELHI was seen as the reason why people did not vote for them.
Finally let’s not forget RSS Supports AMRINDER JI and perhaps a reason for this victory .
shocked punjabis forgot history of 1980s and voted for party whose policies caused it
Punjabis are the most hardworking, brave and “Dildar” people who are successful in every corner of the world. They decided their votes wisely!
I’m truly ashamed to be a Punjabi. How can Punjabis, especially Sikhs forget how Congress party workers and supporters killed Sikhs in 1984 is beyond me. It only proves the Punjabis are mentally retarded a d easily fooled. How can all Punjabis fall for Jatt and Aartis propaganda?
Punjabis aren’t retarded. They are a bunch of self-serving, dishonest, treacherous freeloaders. You take the money from the Indian Govt in the thousands of crores, then go to the west seeking asylum, maligning India and the Hindus, falsely claiming that we persecute you and at the same time corner jobs in Indian security establishments, fleecing the taxpayers through multiple defence scams and Ponzi companies. High time that you are shown your place by the Indian public.
Why BJP paid workers to have to spread poison everywhere they go.
Your ignorant @$$ is unaware of the greater enemy, Agenda 21, WEF’s the great reset.
You guys are yourselves masters at propaganda, so this admission of failure from you is worth noting.