AAP wins in 14 wards in the Chandigarh civic polls. It secured most votes from the newly added villages and colonies, which is usually a Congress stronghold
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have now perked their hopes on winning the upcoming general election after winning the Chandigarh civic polls.
AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tweeted that AAP is the only alternative to BJP that can do considerable justice to the former’s divisive politics. According to the State Election Commission, Congress has managed to win eight seats whereas AAP has won in 14 wards.
(Translation: This victory of the Aam Aadmi Party in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is a sign of the coming change in Punjab. People of Chandigarh today have chosen the honest politics of AAP, rejecting corrupt politics. Many congratulations to all the winning candidates and workers of AAP. This time Punjab is ready for change.)
BJP came second by winning in 12 wards. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has won only one seat.
Chandigarh civic poll results
Debutante AAP has made a stunning performance by sweeping away 14 wards, pushing BJP to second place in the Chandigarh municipality elections. The win suggests the possible wave of change in Punjab that will go to the polls early next year, Kejriwal said.
Raghav Chadha has added that this is not what Chandigarh feels now but entire Punjab. “This win is credited to Kejriwal’s nine-year of governance model. The Chandigarh election is a trailer, Punjab will be the full movie. The mood in Chandigarh is the mood in Punjab,” Chadha said after winning the elections.
The polls have predicted a setback for BJP and created more hurdles for Congress. Both BJP mayor Ravi Kant Sharma and former mayor Davesh Moudgil were defeated by AAP candidates. Meanwhile, AAP’s election campaign committee head Chander Mukhi Sharma lost.
BJP has demanded recounting in ward 4 as AAP won by just 12 votes. The early morning trends had forecasted AAP winning the polls.
Chandigarh civic poll prediction
The Chandigarh civic polls have again proved the existential hurdles of Congress. AAP win is perked on lost Congress supporters.
AAP has secured most of its votes from the colonies and villages, as per the early morning trends. Though they have bagged some votes from the urban area, they have majorly dented Congress vote banks in suburbs, colonies and villages.
This year few villages were shifted to the Chandigarh Municipality, making it 35 wards from 26 wards-urban civic body. On a happier note, Congress has increased its vote share to 23%.
Traditionally, the Chandigarh civic poll was a straight fight between Congress and BJP. But with the entry of AAP, it has now become a four-party fight between AAP, Congress, BJP and SAD-BSP alliance.
AAP has secured around 40% of the votes. BJP’s vote share dropped to 43%. Last time, BJP had bagged 20 seats (77% of the seats) and its then ally Akali Dal had a single seat. The BJP-Akali Dal’s rival Congress had won four seats. The Akali Dal broke its alliance with BJP over the farmer protest earlier this year.
The polls took place just a few months before the Assembly election, predicting a stronger alternative against BJP than Congress.
