The Congress party in Punjab faced a severe electoral jolt on Tuesday, as results for the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections delivered a stark reality check. The faction-ridden state unit was decisively outperformed by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), casting a long shadow over its prospects in the upcoming assembly elections.
A Resounding Victory for AAP, A Distant Second for Congress
In a clear demonstration of its rural strength, the Aam Aadmi Party secured a commanding victory. Out of 347 zones in the zila parishad elections, AAP won 218 seats. The Congress, in contrast, managed to secure only 62 zones, finishing a distant second. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) came third with 46 zones, while the BJP, BSP, and independent candidates shared the remaining seats.
The story was similar in the panchayat samiti elections, which encompass a much larger number of zones. AAP secured 1,531 of the 2,838 zones. The Congress won 612 zones, with SAD at 445, BJP at 75, BSP at 28, and Independents winning 144 zones.
Congress Pushed to Margins in Key Districts
The depth of the Congress's poor performance was evident across several districts. The party failed to win a single zila parishad zone in both Bathinda and Mansa. In Bathinda, 13 of the 17 zones went to the Shiromani Akali Dal. In Mansa, AAP bagged seven of the 11 zones.
The embarrassment was acute even in the home district of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. In Muktsar, the party could win only one of the total 13 zones. This pattern of marginalization was repeated in Amritsar (1 of 24 zones), Faridkot (1 of 10), Moga (1 of 15), and Tarn Taran (1 of 20), where AAP's strong showing largely sidelined the grand old party.
Glimmers of Hope in Isolated Pockets
The Congress performance had a few relatively brighter spots. Gurdaspur emerged as its strongest district, where it won 8 of the 25 zila parishad zones. It matched this figure in Ludhiana, also securing 8 of 25 zones. In Jalandhar, the party won 7 of 21 zones. The party also held its ground in Ropar, matching AAP with five zones each. It put on a reasonable showing in Ferozepur and Nawanshahr, winning six zones each.
In the panchayat samiti elections, the Congress performed relatively better in Ludhiana (73 zones), Gurdaspur (63), Jalandhar (61), and Nawanshahr (34) districts. However, these were isolated performances against AAP's comprehensive dominance across the state's rural landscape.
"Stolen Glory": Warring's Sharp Reaction
Reacting sharply to the outcome, PPCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring launched a fierce attack on the victors. He accused the Aam Aadmi Party of manipulating the electoral mandate. In a social media post, Warring stated that AAP was "basking in stolen glory" despite its claims of a sweep in rural Punjab.
"AAP Punjab may bask in stolen glory of ‘sweeping' the rural mandate, but it knows pretty well where it stands. We know it. They know it. People of Punjab know it. They have not swept the elections, they have stolen these," Warring said. This allegation sets a contentious tone for the political battle leading up to the state assembly elections.
The results serve as a critical indicator of the shifting political sands in Punjab, with AAP consolidating its position and the Congress grappling with internal discord and a severe electoral setback.
