Chandigarh, May 29: In the early trends of the local body elections in Punjab, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken a significant lead. The main opposition party, Congress, and the regional Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are locked in a tight contest.
As of 11 AM, AAP has won 178 wards, while Congress and SAD have secured 58 and 53 wards, respectively.
These elections are viewed as a litmus test for the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled for early 2027.
Voting for representatives in 102 local bodies, including eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils, and 19 nagar panchayats, took place on May 26.
A total of 1,897 wards were included in the elections, with a voter turnout of 63.94%. Across all urban local bodies, there are 7,554 candidates contesting. The eight municipal corporations are located in Abohar, Mohali, Moga, Bathinda, Barnala, Batala, Kapurthala, and Pathankot.
Among the total candidates, 1,801 belong to AAP, 1,550 to Congress, 1,316 to BJP, 1,251 to SAD, and 96 to BSP, while 1,528 are independents and 13 are from other parties.
The highest voter turnout was recorded in nagar panchayats at 76.18%, followed by municipal councils at 65.06%, and municipal corporations at 59.91%.
According to the State Election Commission, there were 1.071 million voters in the municipal corporations, with 641,000 casting their votes. The municipal councils had the highest number of voters, exceeding 2.287 million, with approximately 1.488 million participating. In nagar panchayats, over 107,000 votes were recorded from 141,000 voters.
On polling day, clashes occurred between supporters of BJP, Congress, AAP, and SAD, with reports of booth capturing in several locations.
In Raikot, a group allegedly attacked Congress candidate Jagdev Singh Jagga from Ward 4 with sharp weapons, while in Barnala, BJP candidate Deepender Kaur’s husband was reportedly assaulted after protesting against suspected fraudulent voting.
Reports of clashes also emerged from Gidderbaha in Muktsar district, where supporters of AAP and SAD clashed during voting in Wards 18 and 19.
State Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Congress MLA Pratap Singh Bajwa condemned the incidents and criticized the AAP government for the law and order situation in the state.
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