What is the meaning of Punjab civic elections, BJP lags behind, why is Congress ineffective this time also? who made a comeback

Punjab The local body election results are not limited to municipal bodies only, but they have also set the mood for politics in the next assembly elections. While Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) showed its organizational hold, BJP once again proved to be weak and ineffective. The biggest question is about Congress. Despite the anti-incumbency atmosphere present in the state, why did the party leaders fail to capitalize on it? These results have exposed both the limitations and challenges of Punjab’s opposition politics.

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In fact, the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in Punjab were finally held on December 14 as per the deadline set by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The election results have indicated some political turmoil at the grassroots level. While the ruling AAP has emerged as the clear winner, the gains made by its rivals (SAD, Congress and BJP), though small, are significant. It has become clear that there is a possibility of a contest between three parties in the state in the coming assembly elections.

This is because there was consistently low voter turnout in local government body elections in Punjab. However, the state crossed the national average in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections. This election was also no exception, as voter turnout was only 48%.

2027 question of existence for SAD

Assembly elections in Punjab are to be held in 2027. Everyone’s eyes are on the mainstream parties in these elections. It will be a fight for survival in the coming elections for Punjab’s oldest party Shiromani Akali Dal after facing continuous electoral decline and leadership crisis. After separation from Akali Dal, BJP needs to increase its support base. As far as Congress and AAP are concerned, they will try for political power. In recent times, both of them have nothing much to show in terms of elections.

Election was satisfactory for AAP

AAP has emerged as the largest party in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. Based on the past results of the ruling party winning local body elections and even assembly by-elections in the state, AAP’s victory is not unusual. AAP had also performed better than other parties in the municipal elections held last December.

The election results were no exception, with opposition parties accusing the AAP government of manipulating the results with the help of government officials and the State Election Commission. Interestingly, the State Election Commissioner is a constitutional authority and can be removed only by the President. Even though his appointment is made by the Governor on the recommendation of the state government.

60 percent rural population

Regarding the importance of elections for rural local government bodies, even though Punjab is one of the more urbanized states, about 60 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Furthermore, most people living in cities and towns maintain strong ties to their villages. For many people, their ancestral villages are the source of their identity and surname.

In conflict-ridden Punjab, the village panchayat elections held in January 1993 and the district council and panchayat samiti elections held in September and October 1994 restored people’s confidence in the democratic political process, allowing mainstream parties to re-enter the political stage.

Akali Dal’s hold strengthened

Actually, Punjab remains a three-party state. Akali Dal has strengthened its hold by winning 449 seats in Panchayat Samiti elections and 46 seats in Zilla Parishad. The special thing is that the party won from Bargari, where the sacrilege incident took place in 2015, following which there was police firing in Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura. This incident had distanced even the Taksali Sikhs from the Panthic party.

Disappointing performance of BJP

The BJP’s dismal performance (winning just seven and 73 seats in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections respectively) once again showed that the party has not recovered from the setback it received after the farmers’ agitation against the farm bills. But the BJP has always had a traditional social support base in urban Punjab, where caste Hindus and Khatri Sikhs live.

Congress did not get the benefit of the wave

Congress could not take advantage of the anti-incumbency wave against AAP. Congress’s defeat was mainly due to its factional politics. For this reason the party also lost in the Panchayat elections last year. In the face of a weak Congress high command, regional leaders of the party have started seriously fighting for the post of Chief Minister. Irrespective of this, the party’s candidate stood fourth in the by-election of Tarn Taran assembly constituency held on November 11. It is hardly any consolation for the party that AAP failed to get a clear majority in nine of the 22 district councils.

AAP’s emergence as the single largest party is a much-needed boost for the party after its earlier disappointing performance in Delhi. It had to face consecutive defeats in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Delhi as well as in the Municipal Corporation by-elections. Although the party has made inroads in Goa and Gujarat, its presence there is not that significant. As far as Punjab is concerned, AAP is still facing many challenges.

The government led by Bhagwant Mann, who is likely to remain the chief ministerial face of AAP in the next assembly elections, has not succeeded in fulfilling its election promises of eliminating drugs and mafia cartels. The results of rural elections show that AAP still remains the winning party in Punjab.