The D-Day for thousands of candidates of political parties came on Wednesday as counting of votes for Punjab Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections started around 8 am. Counting of votes for Punjab Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections is underway across 154 centres in 141 locations.
As the voting took place by ballot papers, the final result of Punjab Zila Parishad & Panchayat Samiti Poll is expected to come late at night as counting is still underway.
For the unversed, over 9,000 candidates have contested 347 Zila Parishad and 2,838 Panchayat Samiti seats.
By 9 pm, the ruling state government's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is dominating Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis Election.
In Punjab Panchayat Samiti election results, results of 1616 out of 2838 have come. AAP tops the chart by winning 1033 seats, Congress is at number 2 with 273 seats, SAD (Badal) is 3 with 176 seats, BJP is at 27, while others have won on 67 seats.
In Punjab Zila Parishad Election Results, trend of 86 out of 347 seats have come and yet again Aam Aadmi Party is dominating the polls. AAP is at pole position as it is leading on 68 seats, Congress is leading on 13 seats, SAD (Badal) is leading on 2 seats, BJP is at 1, while others are leading at 2.
AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia took to his X handle and wrote, "(Translated version) Heartfelt thanks to the people of Punjab's villages...The results of today's block panchayat and district panchayat elections have proven that the work of the @BhagwantMann government is being liked by the people...
Good government schools, mohalla clinics, new jobs, roads, playgrounds, electricity, and splendid work has been done by the government in the areas of electricity, seeds, and crop purchase payments for the progress of farmers...
In every village of Punjab, the trust of the common man is still firm on the politics of honest work by @ArvindKejriwal and @BhagwantMann. Congratulations to all the workers and companions of the Aam Aadmi Party."
In Ferozepur, the Azad Group, led by former gangster-turned-social activist Gurpreet Sekhon, has won two seats in the District Council elections. His wife, Mandeep Kaur Sekhon, and Kuljit Kaur Sekhon won the elections from two seats. One seat was won by a margin of 8,500 votes, and the other by 3,500 votes.
Speaking to the media, Sekhon said that the people had raised him from rags to riches. He added that he would remain indebted to them forever and that he could never repay this debt even with his own blood. The victory is considered significant as Sekhon was arrested during the election campaign on charges of intimidating voters but was later released following orders from the High Court.
AAP Punjab President Aman Arora on Wednesday evening addressed a press conference and expressed his gratitude to people of Punjab for giving 'one-sided' mandate to Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Singh Mann-led party.
“With results continuing to come in, a decisive and one-sided mandate is clearly visible in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party. I congratulate all Punjabis for strengthening democracy and for placing their trust in good governance,” said Arora.
By 5 pm, Arora informed that in Punjab Zila Parishad Election results of 71 zones have been declared till now and 60 has come in favour of AAP, while Congress is only at 7 and Akali Dal is at 1, Independent 2 and BJP is 2. It means around 85% results are in favour of AAP.
Similarly, in Punjab Block Samiti Election, results of 1875 blocks have come in which AAP is leading at 867 blocks, accounting for around 68% of the declared results, while the Congress has won 216 blocks.
He congratulated AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, party leaders, MLAs, candidates and especially the dedicated volunteers, stating that the victory is the result of the AAP government’s performance over the past few years and the tireless hard work of party's volunteers at the grassroots.
Calling it a one-sided victory for AAP, Aman Arora noted that while counting through ballot papers is a slower process, the trend shows Punjab’s tilt towards the Aam Aadmi Party and the policies of the Punjab government.
“We went to the people’s court with the work done by the AAP government over the past four years. The people of Punjab have put their stamp of approval on our governance,” he said.
