AAP Dominates Punjab Civic Body Polls Ahead of Assembly Polls, Congress At Distant Second

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) achieved a decisive victory in Punjab’s civic body elections held on May 26, capturing 886 of 1,977 municipal wards (45%), according to Punjab State Election Commission data. Congress secured a distant second with 358 wards, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 178 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took 153. Independent candidates won 246 wards, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) secured six. AAP’s dominance was evident across key regions: in Mandi Gobindgarh, it led in 19 of 25 wards; in Jalandhar, it won 49 of 88; and in Dhuri—Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s constituency—it took 19 of 21 wards. Congress performed relatively better in Kapurthala (31 of 50 wards) and Gidderbaha, a stronghold of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warrier, where it won two of 19 wards. Voting took place across 102 municipal bodies, including eight municipal corporations, with a turnout of 63.94% from 22.38 lakh registered voters. Counting began on May 27, with AAP’s victory seen as a rejection of divisive politics, as Mann claimed the results reflected support for development over sectarianism. Opposition parties had previously accused the AAP government of misusing official machinery. The elections involved 7,554 candidates contesting 1,897 wards through 3,833 polling booths. AAP’s strong showing in urban areas underscores its growing influence ahead of Punjab’s upcoming assembly polls.