Punjab civic polls: AAP wins Patiala, largest party in Ludhiana, Jalandhar

Elections to five municipal corporations - Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar and Phagwara - and 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab took place on Saturday.

Chandigarh: Punjab's ruling party AAP won the municipal elections in Patiala and but fell short of a majority in the Ludhiana and Jalandhar municipal corporations even though it emerged as the largest parties in the two civic bodies.

In Amritsar and Phagwara, the Congress turned out to be the largest party as per municipal corporation results.

Elections to five municipal corporations (MC) -- Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar and Phagwara -- and 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab took place on Saturday.

The AAP is set to elect its mayor in Patiala, which is the stronghold of former chief minister Amarinder Singh.

The ruling party won 43 out of the total 53 wards which went to the polls in Patiala in a resounding victory. The Congress and the BJP won four wards each and the Shiromani Akali Dal secured two wards.

In Ludhiana MC which has 95 wards, the AAP won 41 wards while the Congress secured 30 wards. The BJP won 19, Independents three and SAD two wards.

It was a setback for the AAP in Ludhiana as the wives of two of its sitting MLAs -- Ashok Prashar and Gurpreet Gogi -- lost the municipal corporation poll.

Senior Congress leader and former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu's wife also lost in the Ludhiana civic body poll.

In Jalandhar, the AAP emerged as the largest party and won 38 wards out of total 85 wards while the Congress, the BJP, the BSP and Independents won 25, 19, one and two wards respectively.

In Phagwara and Amritsar, the Congress performed well and emerged the largest party in the municipal corporations. Out of total 85 wards in Amritsar MC, the Congress won 40 wards while the AAP secured 24 wards. The BJP registered victory in nine, SAD in 4 and Independents won 8 wards.

In Phagwara, though no political party was able to cross the half-way mark in the 50-ward corporation, the Congress emerged the largest party by securing victory in 22 wards. The AAP won 12 wards while the BJP won four wards, SAD ended up with three wards and the BSP won three wards.

On Saturday, AAP's Punjab president Aman Arora said that his party created history in the local body elections, securing over 50 per cent of the 977 wards of the municipal corporations and municipal councils and nagar panchayats.

"This resounding victory is a testament to AAP's pro-people governance and commitment to transparent politics," Arora said in a statement.

A voter turnout of 65.85 per cent was witnessed in the urban local body polls. More than 3,300 candidates were in the fray.