The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged victorious in the Punjab civic polls, securing over 48% of the municipal wards and more than 900 seats. The party was followed by the Congress, which trailed behind with over 300 wards. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finished a distant fifth in the elections.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of Punjab for their support, while also taking a veiled jibe at the BJP. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann hailed the party's victory, saying the "politics of hatred" had been defeated.
According to the Punjab State Election Commission, the AAP won 957 of the total 1,977 wards, with the Congress at second spot with 397. Independents occupied the third position by winning 251 wards, followed by the Shiromani Akali Dal with 191 wards, and the BJP with 167 wards.
The final results for the eight municipal corporations are yet to be declared. In Pathankot, the AAP won 23 of the 50 wards, followed by the Congress at 12 and the BJP at eight. In the Mohali Municipal Corporation, AAP established outright dominance by securing more than 20 of the 35 seats.
