Poor show in urban areas in Lok Sabha elections leaves AAP, Cong in a fix

With the municipal corporation (MC) elections overdue in Punjab, the dismal performance of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in urban areas during the Lok Sabha elections has put it in a tizzy. Also the principal opposition party, Congress, and the oldest regional party of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) got a massive drubbing in the urban areas across the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), though failed to win any seat, got maximum votes in the urban areas.

The elections to five municipal corporations of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and Phagwara are overdue and the government has postponed it several times. The terms of elected civic bodies of Amritsar and Patiala had ended on January 22, Jalandhar on January 24 and Ludhiana on March 26 last year. Besides, elections to 39 municipal councils and nagar panchayats are also due.

In the biggest municipal corporation of Ludhiana, the BJP was ahead in five urban assembly segments. What’s worrisome is that AAP stood third after the BJP and the Congress in all urban assembly segments of Ludhiana. Ludhiana East, South, Central, West and North saw the BJP having the upper hand in the parliamentary elections while the Atam Nagar constituency saw the Congress performing better, much to the chagrin of AAP.

In Amritsar, AAP got a good response in the Amritsar Central, North and East seats which comprises 75% seats of the municipal corporation while it also fared well in Amritsar South and West where it got maximum votes.

In Jalandhar, while the BJP took lead in Central and North segments but finished second in West and Cantt.

In Patiala, the BJP took a giant lead in all the civic body-level booths in Urban and Rural segments, dashing the hopes of others. An AAP leader, wishing not to be named, said, “Yes, the results are a setback for AAP. Overall, if we minutely study the Lok Sabha poll results, the BJP has eaten into the maximum vote shares of AAP and the Congress in cities. The SAD had never been strong in cities. It has to be evaluated with a prism that many urban voters voted for a particular line as Ram Temple was an issue.”

AAP’s chief spokesman and MP Malwinder Kang said the results were not as anticipated by AAP, particularly in urban areas. “We are holding parleys, taking feedback and discussing to take corrective measures on what went wrong,” he said. He, however, said the local elections would be fought on local issues on which AAP has done tremendous job like free power, doorstep delivery of services, reining in corruption, etc. The results will be optimistic, he added.

Leader of opposition Partap Bajwa said many urban voters favoured the BJP over the Ram Temple issue. “They (voters) will return to the Congress as they also know that the BJP has no future in Punjab. AAP is going to end in the urban areas in MC elections as urbanites are not happy over poor law and order, corruption by AAP leaders, drug issue and poor civic amenities,” Bajwa said, adding that the Congress would clean sweep if MC elections are held in a free and fair manner.

The state has 47 civic bodies, including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Phagwara municipal corporations.