Ruling AAP Sweeps Rural Polls In Punjab

Chandigarh: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the Zila Parishads polls and has registered a lead in majority of the panchayat samitis in Punjab, according to the rural polls results declared so far on Thursday.

The polling for the said polls was held on December 14 for 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of panchayat samitis, through ballot papers.

According to information, AAP has won in 201 of the 317 zila parishad zones in the results declared so far, while the Congress has won in 60 zones, BJP in 4, BSP in 3 and independent candidates have won in 10 zones.

While former Delhi chief minister and the AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has held that the party’s huge win showed that people in rural areas too have put their stamp of approval on chief minister Bhagwant Mann government’s works, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused AAP government of ``stealing’’ votes.

In his post on X, he said: ``STOLEN GLORY @AAPPunjab may bask in STOLEN GLORY of “sweeping” the rural mandate, but it knows pretty well where it stands. We know it. They know it. People of Punjab know it. They have NOT swept the elections, they have STOLEN these’’.

It may be recalled that opposition parties namely Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP have also accused the ruling AAP of indulging in high-handedness and misusing official machinery against opposition candidates.