BJP National Spokesperson Sardar RP Singh has taken aim at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regarding the results of the Punjab municipal corporation elections. Through social media, he has described these results as an indication of a major shift in Punjab’s politics.
In his tweet, he stated that the most significant takeaway emerging from the Punjab municipal corporation elections is that the Aam Aadmi Party failed to even reach the 1,000-seat mark, whereas the BJP has positioned itself to install its own Mayors and Chairpersons in several municipal corporations and municipal councils. If one looks at the local body elections over the past decade, the evolving landscape of Punjab’s politics becomes clearly evident.
2015 Local Body Elections:
SAD: 1060
BJP: 360
Congress: 356
Others: 400+
During that period, the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance appeared extremely strong; yet, despite this, they lost the subsequent assembly elections.
2021 Local Body Elections:
Congress: 1432
SAD: 284
BJP: 59
AAP: 69
Independents: 364
At that time, the Congress party’s dominance was clearly visible; however, they too were ousted from power in the subsequent assembly elections. Now, take a look at the 2026 results: (Results declared for 1,941 out of 1,977 seats)
AAP: 945
Congress: 380
SAD: 191
BJP: 169
BSP: 7
Independents: 249
He noted that for the first time in the last 11 years, the ruling party in Punjab has failed to cross the 1,000-seat threshold in local body elections. Significantly, this situation arose even as the opposition consistently leveled serious allegations during the election process. Opposition parties alleged that numerous nominations were rejected on technical grounds. In 63 wards, AAP candidates won unopposed because opposition candidates were unable to even file their nominations. The Congress and other parties also leveled allegations against AAP MLAs, accusing them of intimidating and threatening opposition supporters. R.P. Singh stated that, in addition to this, complaints regarding the misuse of police and administrative machinery, booth capturing, and attacks on opposition candidates also surfaced.
Despite this, the AAP failed to cross the psychological threshold of 1,000 seats. This is being viewed as a sign of growing public resentment and anti-incumbency sentiment against the Bhagwant Mann government. The Congress continues to grapple with a crisis of clear leadership and direction, while the Akali Dal has not yet achieved a complete political resurgence. Amidst this political flux, the BJP’s performance has been particularly noteworthy.
He noted that in 2021, contesting the elections alone, the BJP had won merely 59 wards. In 2026—once again contesting without any alliance—the BJP has secured 169 wards, marking an increase of 110 wards over a span of five years. Even without the backing of state power or any coalition support, the BJP has outperformed expectations. The rumblings of change in Punjab’s politics have become clearly audible, and the BJP’s expansion appears to be steadily gaining momentum.
