People defeated politics of hatred: Punjab CM Mann
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday expressed happiness at AAP winning a “sizable number of wards” and leading in many others in the civic body elections, saying people have defeated the “opposition’s politics of hatred” and supported the ruling party’s developmental politics.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won over 860 of the 1,977 wards and is leading in many others even as counting of votes for the civic body elections in Punjab is underway. Addressing mediapersons here on Friday evening, Mann commented on the results and trends available, and said, “People of Punjab have defeated politics of hatred and supported developmental politics. They have rejected parties which indulge in divisive politics.”
He said the people have supported developmental works carried out by AAP dispensation.
“Standing in queues in hot weather, people came out to cast their vote,” he said.
Mann said these were not the first elections since AAP rode to power in 2022 securing a massive win in the assembly polls.
He said AAP secured victories, be it the panchayat polls, assembly bypolls or the Lok Sabha by-election.
Every time, he said, “friends in the media” used to dub those elections as semi-finals ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.
Elections to 102 municipal bodies comprising 1,897 wards across eight municipal corporations of Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala and Pathankot along with 75 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats were held using ballot papers on May 26, recording a turnout of 63.94 per cent.
Seen as crucial for AAP, BJP, Congress and SAD in the run-up to the next year’s assembly polls, 7,554 candidates were in the fray for the local body elections. Out of 1,977 wards, candidates in 80 wards were elected unopposed. Mann said he has been maintaining all throughout that the pulse of the people is in AAP’s favour and the party will win in next year’s assembly polls as well. Calling the BJP “ED party”, Mann claimed that according to the results and trends available for the civic polls, it is ending up at the fifth spot and 1,100 candidates of the opposition party have forfeited their security deposits. “The Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP put together cannot cross the number of wards we have won,” Mann said. AAP will win over 1,000 wards, he claimed.
“I congratulate AAP workers and volunteers who campaigned extensively and took our works to people,” he said.
