The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as the dominant force in Punjab’s civic body elections, winning more than 900 wards and leading in several others as counting of votes continued across the state on Friday. The Congress trailed in second position with victories and leads in over 340 wards.
Counting for the municipal elections began at 8 am amid tight security arrangements at counting centres across Punjab. The outcome of the civic polls is being closely watched as a significant political indicator ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled next year.
The elections are being viewed as a crucial test for the ruling AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, as well as for opposition parties including the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
The civic polls covered Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats across the state, making them the first major electoral exercise to gauge the public mood before the 2027 Assembly elections.
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According to the Punjab State Election Commission, the elections recorded an overall voter turnout of 63.94 per cent. More than 22.38 lakh voters exercised their franchise across 102 municipalities covering 1,897 wards and 3,833 polling booths throughout the state.
Among the three categories of urban local bodies, Nagar Panchayats registered the highest voter turnout at 76.18 per cent, followed by Municipal Councils at 65.06 per cent. Municipal Corporations recorded a turnout of 59.91 per cent. Official data showed that Municipal Councils accounted for the largest voter base in the elections, with more than 22.87 lakh registered electors, out of which nearly 14.88 lakh cast their votes.
Municipal Corporations had approximately 10.71 lakh electors, of whom around 6.41 lakh exercised their franchise, while Nagar Panchayats recorded more than 1.07 lakh votes from nearly 1.41 lakh eligible voters.
While the counting process largely remained peaceful, polling day witnessed several incidents of violence, clashes and allegations of booth capturing involving workers and supporters of major political parties, including the AAP, Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal.
In Raikot, Congress candidate from Ward No. 4, Jagdev Singh Jagga, was allegedly attacked by a group of unidentified men armed with sharp-edged weapons. He sustained injuries and was later admitted to a private hospital in Ludhiana for treatment.
Fresh clashes were also reported from Gidderbaha in Muktsar district, where supporters of the AAP and Shiromani Akali Dal allegedly confronted each other during polling in Wards 18 and 19. Following the incidents, the Shiromani Akali Dal submitted a formal complaint to the Punjab State Election Commission accusing AAP MLA Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon and his supporters of booth capturing, intimidation and assault during polling.
However, election authorities denied reports of booth capturing and maintained that polling was conducted peacefully under adequate security arrangements.
Mann hails the voters
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann praised the people of the state for participating enthusiastically in the elections despite the hot weather conditions. Applauding the voters, Mann said the people of Punjab had rejected divisive politics and supported development-oriented governance.
“People of Punjab have defeated politics of hatred and supported developmental politics. They have rejected parties which indulge in divisive politics,” Mann said.
The counting process was still underway in several wards at the time of filing this report, with party workers celebrating victories and leads in different parts of the state.
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