Punjab civic polls: Early edge to Congress as counting proceeds amid tight security
A total of 7,555 candidates are contesting the civic polls. Among them, the AAP fielded 1,801 candidates, Congress 1,550, BJP 1,316 and SAD 1,251 candidates.
Counting of votes for Punjab’s civic body elections began on Friday amid heavy security deployment across multiple counting centres in the state, with early trends indicating a strong performance by the Congress in several municipal wards, including Kapurthala.
Polling for 75 Municipal Councils and 20 Nagar Panchayats was conducted on May 26 using ballot papers.
The elections are being viewed as a key political contest ahead of next year’s Punjab Assembly elections, with major parties including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) testing their strength at the grassroots level.
According to officials, a total of 7,555 candidates are contesting the civic polls. Among them, the AAP fielded 1,801 candidates, Congress 1,550, BJP 1,316 and SAD 1,251 candidates.
The counting process commenced at 8 am under strict security arrangements.
Election authorities said entry into counting halls has been restricted to authorised personnel and polling staff only.
Two micro observers have also been deputed at each counting centre to work under the supervision of district-level general observers.
Ajnala SDM Charumita said the counting process in Ramdas began smoothly in the morning.
"Counting is underway across 11 booths in Ramdas, and we were able to begin the counting process at 08:30 am. The counting has now started. There are 44 candidates from four parties across these 11 booths. The security arrangements are completely fine; only those who have been issued ID cards or our own staff are allowed entry. A single round of counting will be completed in about an hour to an hour and a half," news agency ANI quoted Charumita as saying.
DSP Ajnala Inderjeet Singh said elaborate security measures had been put in place at the counting centres.
"The civic body elections were held on 26th May. A strong room was designated at Government College, Ajnala. The counting of votes is being done here. All over supervision is being done by SP Headquarters. Four SHO-level officers have been deployed here for security. Police personnel are here on law and order duty,” he said.
He added vote counting for 11 wards was underway at the centre under the watch of 33 security personnel, adding that the process was being conducted peacefully and authorities expected the situation to remain calm throughout.
CONGRESS SURGING AHEAD
Trends showed Congress gaining an advantage in several wards, particularly in Kapurthala. In Ward No. 21, Congress secured 353 votes, ahead of SAD with 110 votes, AAP with 138 votes and an Independent candidate with 62 votes.
In Ward No. 15 of Kapurthala, Congress again emerged ahead with 358 votes. BJP secured 176 votes, AAP 201 votes, SAD 20 votes, while NOTA received eight votes.
In Mansa Nagar Council, Congress candidate Krishna Devi won from Ward No. 9.
In the Pathankot Municipal Corporation elections, results for 10 of the 50 wards indicated Congress leading in five wards, AAP in three wards, BJP in one ward and Independents ahead in one ward.
AAP registered a dominant performance in Gidderbaha, leading in 18 of the 19 wards, while Congress was ahead in one ward.
In Dhuri, AAP surged ahead in 20 of the 21 wards, with one Independent candidate leading in the remaining ward.
Bhawanigarh witnessed a close contest, with AAP and Congress leading in seven wards each, while SAD was ahead in one ward out of the total 15 wards.
In Sunam, AAP was leading in 12 of the 23 wards, while one Independent candidate was also ahead. The party was also dominating in Moga, where it was leading in most of the 39 wards as per the first round of counting.
In Longowal, AAP led in 10 of the 15 wards, Congress in two wards, SAD in one ward and one Independent candidate was also ahead.
The municipal elections recorded an overall voter turnout of 63.94 per cent. The outcome is expected to serve as an important indicator of the political mood in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Opposition parties had earlier accused the ruling AAP government of misusing official machinery during the civic polls, allegations denied by the state government.