In a significant development for Punjab's local politics, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) maintained a commanding overall lead as votes were counted for the zila parishad and panchayat samitis across Patiala district late on Wednesday night. While results from some blocks were still pending, the ruling party's performance underscored its growing influence in the region's grassroots democratic institutions.
District-Wide Contest and Opposition's Grassroots Show
Patiala district, encompassing a vast network of 988 gram panchayats, is divided into 23 zila parishad zones and 184 panchayat samiti zones. These span across blocks such as Patiala, Patiala Rural, Sanaur, Bhunerheri, Rajpura, Ghanaur, Shambhu Kalan, Samana, Nabha, and Patran. Despite AAP's lead, the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) demonstrated a resilient presence in several areas, most notably in the Rajpura block, indicating a competitive political landscape.
In Ghanaur, former Congress MLA Madan Lal Jalapur provided a micro-view of the tight contest, revealing that out of 16 zones, Congress won six seats but lost five others by agonizingly narrow margins of fewer than 25 votes. This pattern of close fights fueled allegations from Congress leaders, who claimed multiple narrow defeats and pointed fingers at purported irregularities during the counting process.
Allegations of Irregularities Spark Joint Protest
The discontent over the counting process culminated in joint protests by the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal. The opposition parties leveled serious accusations, claiming that a local AAP MLA was allowed to remain inside a counting centre for nearly two hours under police protection. They further alleged that their own representatives, despite holding valid entry passes, were denied access to the same facility.
Police authorities, however, denied any wrongdoing. The situation highlighted the tense atmosphere surrounding the declaration of results for these crucial local body elections.
Block-by-Block Results: A Mixed Bag
A closer look at the results from key blocks reveals the nuanced outcome of the elections:
Rajpura Block: Returning Officer Naman Markan stated that in the 15 panchayat samiti zones, the AAP won six seats, Congress secured eight, and Shiromani Akali Dal managed to get one. However, in the single zila parishad zone for Rajpura, the AAP candidate emerged victorious.
Sanaur Block: Officials SDM Dudhansadhan and Returning Officer Sukhpal Singh reported that AAP dominated here, winning 14 of the 19 zones. Congress secured two, and three seats went to independent candidates. AAP also clinched both zila parishad zones in this block.
Bhunerheri Block: According to Returning Officer Navdeep Kumar, AAP continued its strong performance by securing 15 out of 19 zones. Congress won two, Shiromani Akali Dal got one, and one independent candidate was successful. AAP candidates also swept both zila parishad zones in Bhunerheri.
Administrative Oversight and Security Arrangements
To ensure the integrity of the counting process, a robust administrative and security framework was put in place. Election observer and Divisional Commissioner Vinay Bublani inspected counting centres at Nabha and Patiala. He emphasized that micro-observers were deployed at all centres to guarantee transparency.
The overall supervision of the election process was under the purview of District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav. On the security front, arrangements were closely monitored by senior police officials including DIG Kuldeep Singh Chahal, SSP Sartaj Singh Chahal, and all SP-rank officers of the Patiala district.
As the final results from the remaining blocks are tallied, the outcome in Patiala sets the stage for the next phase of political engagement in Punjab, with the ruling AAP seeking to consolidate its hold and the opposition regrouping after a fiercely contested battle.
