Jagraon, May 30
Jagraon, May 30 – Notwithstanding the fact that out of a total of 1,977 wards in the recently held Municipal Council polls, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party managed to pocket just 958 wards — not even the halfway mark — the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been projecting the results as a resounding victory for his government.
According to Opposition parties — Congress, BJP and Akali Dal — even the wards AAP won were through “manipulations, intimidation, booth capturing and gross misuse of official machinery.”
On Election Day, AAP leaders kept trolling Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring for failing to register victory in Gidderbaha, his home turf. But the reality is that Gidderbaha is just one Municipal Council. In contrast, Warring’s performance in Jagraon, which falls in Ludhiana — his parliamentary constituency — delivered a humiliating defeat to AAP.
In Jagraon, AAP failed to secure even 50 per cent of the wards, winning only 9 of 23 seats. Congress matched the tally with 9 wards, while BJP secured 4 and one went to an independent. The verdict left the council hung, denying AAP a decisive mandate. A governing party typically seeks a clear majority in local body elections but AAP could win only 39 per cent of the seats, tying with Congress and exposing its vulnerability.
It is pertinent to mention that former President of the District Congress Committee, Ludhiana (Urban), and ex-Chairman of the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board, Pawan Dewan, was appointed as Observer for Congress in Jagraon. Discharging his duties diligently, Dewan held several meetings, assessed the ground realities and after exhaustive brainstorming, picked the 23 strongest candidates. “The credentials of the Congress candidates were so strong that despite all sorts of high-handedness, Congress managed to win nine wards,” Dewan told The News Gateway.
What is more striking is that usually it is the ruling party that manages victory in civic polls. This time, despite all sorts of “goondaism”, AAP failed to leave a mark. Dewan asserted: “The mandate Congress got in Jagraon is testimony to the fact that the days of the AAP government are numbered.”
Thanking the voters of Jagraon and congratulating the winners, Dewan said the Congress rank and file is committed to uproot the AAP government in the Punjab Assembly elections early next year.
