Results of Punjab civic body polls a clear public mandate against farm laws enacted by BJP-led Union govt

The unequivocal defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the civic body polls held in Punjab, which it contested on its own, clearly shows the extent of the angst among the people of the state against the new farm laws enacted by the NDA government at the Centre.

Out of the declared results of the civic bodies, the BJP could register its presence in just 2 per cent of the total municipal wards across the state, which is a warning sign for it as far as next year’s Assembly elections in Punjab are concerned.

Political analysts opined that the public mandate in the agrarian state was clearly against the rigidness of the BJP-led Union government in refusing to hold any meaningful dialogue with protesting farmers demanding repeal of the farm laws enacted by it. The voters in Punjab, a majority of them farmers, have given a clear signal of their resentment against the BJP and its erstwhile ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), they said.

The BJP tasted defeat even in its stronghold areas, including Pathankot, the hometown of its state president Ashwani Sharma.

The party had fielded 1000 candidates in the elections, but just 47 of them won, putting it at the bottom of the table. Even Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did better than the BJP, while SAD came at the number two position.

The Congress made a clean sweep to such an extent that it won 43 wards out of 50 even in Bathinda, the bastion of the Badal family. The SAD could retain only seven seats in the hometown of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, while the BJP and AAP scored a nil.

Interestingly, the wife of senior BJP leader Tiksan Sud lost the elections even in BJP’s bastion Hoshiarpur, which is represented by the party’s stalwart leaders Vijay Sampla, former state BJP president and Union minister Som Parkash, who is coordinating talks between the government and the agitating farmers’ unions on the farm laws in Delhi.

After the landslide victory for Congress, Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh said that the people had voted for development, peace, and stability in the state.

He termed it a clear endorsement of his government’s policies and a validation of the party's stand on key issues, including the farm laws.

Taking to Twitter, Capt. Amarinder Singh wrote: “Today’s results in MC Elections are the victory of each Punjabi. It is very clear that people of Punjab want development & will not be fooled by politics of hatred & theatrics. I thank everyone for reposing faith in us & especially our @INCIndia workers who worked day and night”.

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said that the BJP’s central leadership has been given a loud and clear message by the public.

State BJP president Ashwani Sharma has, however, accused the Congress of ‘misusing the official machinery’, and claimed that the election results did not amount to a public mandate against the BJP for enacting the farm laws.

Commenting on the results of the elections, AAP state president Harpal Singh Cheema said that the public mandate was against the BJP for enacting the farm laws. He, however, claimed that the party's base in urban areas has increased and its vote share had gone up significantly though it contested the civic body polls for the first time.

Reflecting his frustration with the election results, SAD president Sukhbir Badal tweeted: “My heartiest thanks & congratulations to brave @Akali Dal warriors who asserted themselves and emerged as the most powerful and the only challengers to the corrupt and incompetent Congress rulers in civic poll.”