MC polls results a mixed bag for ruling AAP

The incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab is set to install its mayors in Patiala, where it has gained a clear-cut majority, and Jalandhar, where three opposition councillors and two independents have extended their support.

Overall in five municipal corporation elections, the party has won 179 wards out of a total 368 that went to polls. Election in seven wards of Patiala was deferred after high court orders.

In Ludhiana, AAP has emerged as the single largest party with 41 councillors in the 95-member House and is eight short of majority. One independent councillor has already extended support to AAP. It is learnt that the Congress and the BJP are trying to patch up an alliance to keep AAP away from gaining a majority in Ludhiana.

The party got a clear-cut majority in Patiala, where it won 43 seats out of 53 wards that went to polls. However in Amritsar, it won 24 seats in the 85-member House and in Phagwara, the party won 12 wards out of a total of 50 members.

The saving grace for the party is the municipal councils and notified area committees, where it registered a majority in 31 civic bodies out of 41 where the polls were conducted. The Congress party won on eight bodies and BJP on two, bucking the trend wherein the party running the government generally sweeps the civic polls.

“This is where the difference comes. Our government believes in fair play,” said AAP Punjab unit president Aman Arora, who along with chief minister Bhagwant Mann has extensively campaigned for the polls.

He added that overall AAP’s performance was satisfactory as the party won 55% of seats in the entire elections in 46 civic bodies. Further, according to Arora, 15% of independent candidates have won the election which shows fairness. “The three political parties – Congress BJP and SAD could win only 30% of seats, which shows the strength of our government,” said Arora.