The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken a strong lead in the Punjab civic body polls, winning 178 municipal wards, while its nearest rival Congress has secured victory in 58 wards as counting for 103 municipal bodies continues.
AAP’s main rivals, the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), are lagging behind, while the BJP has managed to win only a few wards so far.
Although these elections are generally seen as a test for the party in power, with Assembly elections just a few months away, expectations were high that opposition parties would perform better.
The fate of 7,554 candidates was sealed in the ballot boxes, as 21.38 lakh voters — nearly 64 per cent of the total eligible electorate — cast their ballots on Tuesday.
The ruling dispensation in Punjab secured a clear majority in the Malerkotla Municipal Council by winning 7 out of the total 11 wards.
Its main rival Congress, won 3 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to secure 1 seat.
Meanwhile, Congress has won 11 wards in Kapurthala, including wards 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 14, while the AAP won wards 5 and 13.
In Moga, out of the total 53 wards, AAP secured 13, Congress 13, SAD 11, BJP 11, and Independents 5.
In Banga, AAP has secured victory by winning 10 of the 15 wards. Independent candidates won two wards, while the BJP, BSP, and SAD have won one ward each.
In SultanpurLodhi, out of 13 results declared so far, AAP has won 3, while Independents (from the Rana group) have taken 7.
The early trends suggest AAP is leading on a majority of the seats, with Congress performing better in some areas while SAD is trailing significantly behind the ruling party.
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