The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has emerged as the frontrunner in the once “Badal-dominated” Muktsar and Bathinda districts and is giving a tough fight to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Mansa, Ferozepur and Moga districts, while holding its ground in Fazilka, Faridkot and Barnala, as per the trends and results available.
The Congress however failed to put up a strong show even in Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring’s home district Muktsar. Here, the party was lagging at number three position. In the Gidderbaha Assembly segment, from where Warring has been elected MLA for three consecutive terms, the Congress again remained at the third position in the panchayat samiti results. Warring’s wife Amrita last year lost the Gidderbaha bypoll.
Reacting to the trends, Warring said the SAD’s revival would benefit the Congress. “In the Gidderbaha bypoll, SAD votes got transferred to AAP, which is why we lost. I am still calculating figures and Congress candidates are leading at several places. However, the SAD is largely confined to Bathinda, Muktsar and adjoining areas, which have traditionally been its stronghold,” he said.
In Muktsar district, the SAD is leading in eight zila parishad seats, while AAP is ahead in three. In the Lambi segment, the SAD is leading or have won in 11 of the 14 panchayat samiti zones counted so far. In the 2022 Assembly elections, AAP’s Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, now Agriculture Minister, defeated former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi. In Khuddian panchayat samiti zone, SAD candidate Major Singh won.
In the Malout Assembly segment, represented by AAP minister Dr Baljit Kaur, AAP is leading or have won in nine panchayat samiti zones, while the SAD was ahead in five.
Bathinda has emerged as the SAD’s biggest stronghold. The SAD have won nine zila parishad seats and is leading in the remaining five, while AAP has won three seats. Among the notable victories was that of Behman Diwana candidate Jaskaran Kaur, who won by a margin of 4,143 votes. Her husband, Jagsir Singh Balluana, an Akali jathedar, died following a heated argument over an election slip at Balluana village on the polling day. Another key SAD win was recorded from Bhucho Kalan, where Bhai Gurjinder Singh emerged victorious.
In Barnala district, AAP won eight zila parishad seats, while the SAD secured the remaining two. The SAD scored a win in Kurar, the ancestral village of AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer. SAD’s Jaswinder Kaur defeated AAP’s Swaranjit Kaur from the Kurar panchayat samiti zone.
In Mansa district, the AAP was leading in seven zila parishad seats, while the SAD was ahead in four. The Congress failed to put up a serious fight. Late in the evening, tension prevailed at the Mansa counting centre after AAP MLA Dr Vijay Singla and his supporters demanded that counting be stopped and allegedly had a verbal altercation with a police officer.
In Faridkot district, AAP was locked in a close contest with the SAD and the Congress. The BJP marked its maiden entry into rural local body elections here by winning the Gondra and Arianwala Kalan panchayat samiti zones. AAP, however, suffered a setback after losing the panchayat samiti election from Sandhwan zone, the native village of Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan. In the Sandhwan Zila Parishad zone, the Congress candidate was leading.
In Moga district, AAP and the SAD were locked in a tight contest. In Moga panchayat samiti zone 2, the SAD candidate initially defeated the AAP candidate by nine votes. Following an objection, a recount was conducted, which swung the result in favour of the Congress candidate by a margin of 34 votes.
In Fazilka, the home district of state BJP chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar, AAP was leading in the panchayat samiti elections. Of the 49 of the total 106 seats, AAP won 30, BJP nine, SAD six and the Congress four. BJP candidate Bachan won from the Panjkosi zila parishad zone, the native village of the Jakhar family. During the day, Congress, SAD and BJP activists staged protests over alleged irregularities.
In the border district of Ferozepur, AAP appeared to be losing ground, while the Congress and the SAD regained some footing. In the Zira Assembly segment, AAP won two zones, while the Congress made a comeback in two others