Chandigarh, May 29 (IANS) Saying the BJP could not save its deposits on more than 1,000 seats, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s sweeping victory in municipal elections was a decisive endorsement of the government’s development‑driven governance model.

Stating that Punjabis had “swept out” the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the BJP, CM Mann said the verdict reflected people’s faith in free electricity, quality education, better and free healthcare, employment generation, and other public welfare initiatives.

Pointing to the party’s dominance across the state, including its emphatic victory in Dhuri, where the party won 19 of 21 seats, he said the results had reduced the BJP, which he called the “ED Party”, to fifth position and sent a clear message that Punjab was firmly backing the politics of performance.

The Chief Minister said the mandate also indicated that AAP was on course to surpass its historic 2022 Assembly election performance in 2027, while assuring that every city, town, and village in Punjab would witness equal development without discrimination.

CM Mann told the media that the people of Punjab had shown the door to communal forces and given a resounding verdict in favour of secularism and the Aam Aadmi Party. He said that despite the scorching heat, people came out to vote for safeguarding democracy, which was a very encouraging sign.

Highlighting the party’s electoral performance over the past four years, he said people from every section of society had consistently stood with AAP and its policies. “AAP won more than 11,000 panchayat seats out of nearly 13,000. The by‑elections to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, four Vidhan Sabha seats, Zila Parishads, Block Samitis, and now Nagar Councils and Nagar Panchayats have all demonstrated that public support for the AAP continues to grow.”

The Chief Minister said the combined strength of Opposition parties had failed to match the support received by AAP. “The Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the BJP, which I call the ED party, together could not even reach the number of seats won by AAP. The people have completely rejected their negative and divisive agenda. Even in urban areas, which the BJP considers its traditional vote base, voters have decisively rejected them,” he said.

Referring to the BJP’s performance, CM Mann said the party could not save its deposits on more than 1,000 seats. He added that, despite the hype, it had ended up in fifth place in these elections. “In many places, even Independents have won more seats than the BJP. It appeared as though the BJP was competing only with NOTA,” he remarked.

The Chief Minister said AAP had secured a sweeping mandate in the elections and thanked party workers for their tireless efforts.

“These results have made it clear that the path for the AAP in 2027 is becoming stronger. The people have also taught a lesson to those who tried to misuse the ED and central agencies to harass AAP leaders and workers,” he said.

Commenting on former AAP Rajya Sabha members who left the party, CM Mann said those who chose to backstab the party had received an answer from the people. He added that they should reflect on what they had achieved because the people of Punjab had rejected them.

Citing constituency‑wise results, the Chief Minister said the verdict reflected strong support for AAP across Punjab. “In Gidderbaha, the home turf of the Punjab Congress president, the AAP won 17 out of 19 seats. In Barnala, associated with the newly appointed Punjab BJP chief, the BJP was nowhere in the picture while the AAP won 37 out of 50 seats,” he added.

–IANS

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