Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring launched a sharp attack on Monday, accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of spreading false narratives about the recent zila parishad and block samiti election results. He presented detailed figures to counter their claims, alleging widespread manipulation of the electoral process.
Congress Counters AAP's 'Stolen Glory'
Addressing a press conference at the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) headquarters in Chandigarh, Warring, flanked by party colleagues Durlabh Sidhu and Hardeep Singh Kingra, dissected the results. He asserted that while the AAP is attempting to bask in stolen glory, the SAD is simply lying about its performance.
Warring claimed the AAP's game plan was exposed by former Patiala SSP Varun Sharma. He alleged that Sharma directed junior police staff on methods to prevent opposition candidates from filing nomination papers, thus eliminating the need for formal rejections. Warring stated that police and election officials followed these guidelines, which he believes were issued by the AAP government.
Breaking Down the Numbers: Claims vs Reality
Providing a seat-by-seat analysis, Warring challenged the AAP's assertion of winning 220 out of 347 zila parishad seats. He argued that only 136 seats were won through a genuine electoral process, and even that was tainted by power abuse.
He explained the discrepancy of 84 seats: 18 seats saw a boycott, 11 were won unopposed due to the alleged tactics outlined by SSP Sharma, nomination papers were torn in 5 seats, and papers were arbitrarily rejected in 32 other seats. According to Warring's figures, the Congress won 62 zila parishad seats, the SAD 46, the BJP 7, and others won 11.
The story was similar for block samiti seats. Against the AAP's claim of winning 1,592 seats, Warring stated the party actually won only 838 through the electoral process. He attributed the rest to abuse and intimidation: a boycott in 149 seats, 212 won unopposed as candidates were blocked from filing papers, rejection of papers for 328 seats, and results forcibly declared in the ruling party's favour at 74 locations.
He emphasized that the Congress, facing these odds, secured 603 block samiti seats, while the SAD trailed far behind with 420 and the BJP got only 66.
Warring Takes Digs at SAD and BJP Internal Politics
Responding to questions, Warring commented on former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's recent praise for SAD president Sukhbir Badal while being critical of his father, Parkash Singh Badal. Warring took a jab at Sukhbir Badal, questioning how he could tolerate the insult of his father in exchange for personal praise.
On former colleague Sunil Jakhar's claim that he was asked for Rs 350 crores to become Chief Minister, the PCC president pointed out that Jakhar's own BJP colleague, Amarinder Singh, had refuted such allegations. "That means one of them is wrong," Warring remarked, noting both statements cannot be correct simultaneously.
The press conference served as the Congress's forceful rebuttal to establish its narrative on the rural poll results, setting the stage for continued political confrontation in Punjab.
