Chandigarh, Dec 18 Delivering a decisive verdict in the rural heartland, voters across Punjab handed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) an emphatic mandate in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections, giving the ruling government a clear endorsement of its governance.
With over 70 per cent of the seats secured, the results indicated a strong pro-incumbency wave, as AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said the verdict reflects people’s trust in the Bhagwant Mann government’s ‘politics of work’ spanning the ‘Yudh Nashe Virudh’ (war against drugs), irrigation reforms, reliable electricity, road construction, employment, education and healthcare.
As AAP outpaced the Congress, the Akali Dal and the BJP by wide margins, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the verdict left no room for misreading the public mood, calling the outcome a reminder of the responsibility and humility with which his government must continue to serve the people of Punjab.
Addressing the media in Mohali, near here, Kejriwal said the scale and nature of the mandate demonstrated not anti-incumbency, but a decisive pro-incumbency sentiment in favour of the ruling party, especially in rural areas.
Kejriwal said, “The results so far show that the AAP has almost swept rural Punjab. It feels as if there is a very strong wave in favour of AAP. Around 70 per cent of the seats in both the Zila Parishads and the Block Samitis have been won by the AAP. This is a very big thing.”
He said the verdict was a clear endorsement of the work done by the Punjab government under Chief Minister Mann.
“This shows that the people of rural Punjab have put their stamp of approval on the work of the AAP government led by Bhagwant Mann. In political terms, what is usually described as an anti-incumbency factor, I believe, has instead turned into a pro-incumbency factor. People are very happy with the work done by the government, and that is why they have endorsed it so strongly,” he said.
Responding to comparisons being made with earlier elections held three days ago were free and fair elections. “There was videography of the entire polling process and videography of the counting as well. I want to present concrete evidence to show how fair these elections were,” Kejriwal said.
Citing detailed figures, the AAP convenor said, “There are 580 seats across Punjab that were won with a margin of less than 100 votes. Out of these 580 seats, the AAP won 261 seats by a margin of less than 100 votes, while the opposition won 319 seats. If there had been any misuse of machinery or pressure tactics, all it would have taken was a single phone call to a DC or an SDM, and those 319 seats won by the opposition could easily have gone in our favour. We did not do that. We wanted to see the true will of the people.”
CM Mann said this victory is the outcome of the work done over the past four years. He thanked the rank and file of AAP for working hard to boost the momentum and prospects of the party’s campaign in these polls.
“I was in Japan to invite the businesspersons to invest in Punjab, but the young brigade of the AAP ensured the thumping victory of the party in these polls. This massive victory has filled us with more humility and responsibility to serve the people of the state,” he affirmed.
He said that AAP won 67 per cent of the Block Samiti seats and 72 per cent of the Zila Parishad seats, securing nearly 70 per cent of the total rural seats.
He said that the Akali Dal boasts of being a rural-dominated party, but has been decimated in these areas, yet they are thumping their chest without any reason.
“Akali Dal leadership is living in a fool’s paradise and is hoping to stage a comeback even though people have rejected them time and again,” said the CM.
On the contrary, Mann said, AAP has been spreading its wings across the country on the sole plank of development and good governance.
He said that AAP is now expanding to states like Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala, where it is winning local body elections.
--IANS
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