Chandigarh, May 29: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party secured a decisive victory in the Punjab local body elections, capturing more than 33 percent of the total wards in what observers termed a “mini assembly” contest. Official data released following the completion of vote counting for 1,349 wards confirmed a substantial mandate for the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
The election results revealed a near-total displacement of opposition parties in key areas, most notably within the chief minister’s home assembly constituency of Dhuri. In the Dhuri Municipal Council, candidates representing the ruling party secured 20 out of the 21 available seats.
State election officials confirmed that the Aam Aadmi Party finished the race with 904 seats. The Congress party trailing in second place with 364 seats, while independent candidates collectively secured 247 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal managed 183 seats, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with 162 seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party finished with seven seats.
“The counting of votes across the designated wards indicates a clear direction chosen by the electorate,” stated a senior election official monitoring the results from the state capital.
The polling process, which concluded on May 26, saw a voter turnout of approximately 64 percent, representing 2,238,241 citizens who cast their ballots. The elections determined the composition of eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils, and 19 nagar panchayats, altogether deciding the political future of thousands of contesting candidates across 1,897 total wards. Notably, this election marked the first municipal corporation poll for Barnala, establishing representation for its 50 newly designated corporation wards.
Security remained tight throughout the state as the State Election Commission utilized 115 multi-layered security counting centers established across 23 districts. The official proceedings also noted that 80 candidates had already secured their positions unopposed prior to the formal polling date. This comprehensive electoral exercise follows the previous round of civic body polls conducted during the current administration’s tenure in December 2024.
