Punjab civic body election results have become one of the biggest political talking points in the state ahead of 2027 Assembly elections and the voting for these civic polls was held on May 26, while counting took place on May 29.
Across Punjab ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as dominant force and won highest number of wards and the results are being viewed as an important political indicator before the next Assembly elections however some areas specially attracted much more attention than others because of their connection with prominent political leaders and their symbolic importance throughout the Punjab’s political history.
Among the most closely watched contests were Dhuri, Gidderbaha, Kapurthala, Sunam and Pathankot where each of these places carried a different political weightage and was seen as a test for key leaders and parties.
Dhuri was one of the most important seats in the entire election because it is the Assembly constituency of Punjab’s current Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and political observers considered the result a direct test of popularity of Mann and AAP government in his home constituency.
A strong performance was expected from AAP but the party went far beyond expectations and won 20 out of 21 wards in Dhuri Municipal Council making it one of the party's strongest performances in Punjab.
The result has been widely seen as a major political boost for Bhagwant Mann ahead of 2027 Assembly elections and the outcome also indicates that AAP continues to enjoy strong support in Chief Minister's home turf.
Gidderbaha was another high profile battleground because it is considered political stronghold of current Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and the constituency has remained closely associated with Warring's political career.
It also gained attention in recent years because AAP's Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon won Gidderbaha assembly seat in Punjab defeating the Congress' Amrita Warring by 21,969 votes in bypoll result of 2024. The Gidderbaha seat was vacated by Raja Warring after his election to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana.
Raja Warring won Gidderbaha seat in 2012, 2017 and 2022.
Because of this background the civic polls were viewed as a direct test of Congress leadership's influence in the area and the results turned out to be disappointing for Congress as AAP won 17 out of 19 wards in Gidderbaha Municipal Council while Congress managed to win only two wards giving a significant setback for Warring in an area long considered his political base.
Kapurthala emerged as one of the biggest success stories for Congress in the entire civic election as it managed to hold its ground strongly and out of 50 wards Congress won 31 seats securing control of the corporation house under leadership of MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh and AAP managed 11 seats while BJP and SAD won 3 seats each and 2 went to independents while on the other hand in Sultanpur Lodhi Municipal Council independent MLA Rana Inder Pratap supported candidates dominated with 7 wins out of 13 wards while AAP secured 5 and SAD only 1 seat and these mixed results show that while AAP leads overall local factors and candidate strength still matter in several areas.
Sunam was also closely watched because it is significance as Sunam is the constituency of Punjab AAP President and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party registered a major victory in Sunam Municipal Council elections securing a clear majority and paving way to form the council presidency.
Political observers believe that strong performances in places like Dhuri and Sunam have given AAP additional confidence ahead of Assembly elections especially in regions where party already enjoys significant support.
Pathankot was perhaps one of the most important seats for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in entire election and unlike many other parts of Punjab Pathankot has traditionally been considered an area where BJP has a time and again proven its stronghold especially in urban support base. In Pathankot municipal corporation where BJP emerged as single largest party with 22 seats in the 50-member House but failed to secure a majority while Congress won 18 seats while the ruling AAP finished third with 10 seats.
The results from these key Assembly seats Dhuri, Gidderbaha, Kapurthala, Sunam and Pathankot highlight different political stories emerging from Punjab civic polls and although civic elections do not always predict Assembly election but still outcomes of these results have time and again provided an early glimpse into political mood of Punjab as parties begin preparing for crucial 2027 Assembly polls.
