The results show that the people of Punjab have faith in AAP: Arvind Kejriwal

Punjab: A day after the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) spectacular performance in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti election results, national convener Arvind Kejriwal said the verdict reflects people’s trust in the Bhagwant Mann government’s “politics of work,” which includes the ‘war against drugs,’ irrigation reforms, reliable electricity, road construction, employment, education, and healthcare. He said, “With over 70 percent of the seats won, the results show a strong pro-incumbency wave and clear support for the government’s performance. The AAP has left the Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP far behind.” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said the AAP won 67 percent of the Block Samiti seats and 72 percent of the Zila Parishad seats, securing nearly 70 percent of the total rural seats.
“The Akali Dal claims to be the dominant party in rural areas, but it has been wiped out in these areas.” Addressing a press conference at the party office in Mohali, Kejriwal explained that such elections are often considered an early indicator of the public mood. “The 2013 Block Samiti and Zila Parishad elections were held a year after the 2012 assembly elections. At that time, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had won in 2012, and these elections were held immediately after their so-called honeymoon period. Similarly, the 2018 rural elections were held a year after the 2017 assembly elections, which the Congress won. The current elections have been held a year before the next assembly elections. Despite this, the results clearly show people’s satisfaction with the current government,” he said. Presenting detailed figures, the AAP chief said, “Across Punjab, there are 580 seats that were won by a margin of less than 100 votes. Of these 580 seats, AAP won 261 seats by a margin of less than 100 votes, while the opposition won 319 seats. If there had been any misuse of the machinery or pressure tactics employed, a single phone call to a DC or SDM would have been enough, and those 319 seats won by the opposition could have easily gone in our favor.” Meanwhile, Mann said that the opposition’s uproar is baseless as the results show that the entire election process was transparent, free, and fair. “In Dhuri, Congress won by nine votes, in Jhuneer by 30 votes, in Bharatgarh by 40 votes, and even in the area of ​​former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who indulged in a lot of drama to mislead the people, Congress won comfortably. If the government had acted arbitrarily like previous governments, Congress and SAD would not have won even a single seat,” he asserted. The Punjab CM said that AAP secured more than 1,800 seats in the block samitis and 250 district council seats, which is four times more than Congress, five times more than the Akali Dal, and 20 times more than the BJP.