Vote counting for the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Punjab was underway on Wednesday, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party claiming a sweeping performance in the early trends. Party leaders said AAP candidates had secured wins in more than 900 zones and were leading in several others, while opposition parties raised allegations of irregularities during the counting process. Election officials said the final results were expected by late evening.
The counting of ballot papers began at 8 am across 154 centres set up throughout the state. The elections, held on December 14, were conducted to choose representatives for 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis, marking a significant round of local body polls in Punjab.
AAP Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said the results declared so far clearly favoured the ruling party and reflected strong public support for the policies and governance of the Bhagwant Mann-led government. He said the emerging trends showed that voters in rural areas had endorsed the work done by the state government.
According to Arora, results for 71 zila parishad zones had been declared at the time of his statement, with AAP winning 60 of them. The Congress secured seven zones, while the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP won one zone each, and two seats went to independent candidates. He claimed that close to 85 per cent of the declared results were in AAP’s favour.
In the panchayat samiti segment, Arora said results for 1,875 zones had been announced, of which AAP candidates won 867 seats, amounting to roughly 68 per cent. The Congress won 216 zones, the SAD 129, the independents 63, and the BJP 20. He added that AAP was also leading in 113 zila parishad zones and 257 panchayat samiti zones, describing the trend as evidence of a one-sided mandate in favour of the ruling party.
Arora said the results showed that villagers had voted decisively for AAP’s governance model and development agenda. He pointed out that a voter turnout of around 48 per cent was recorded during the polling, with more than 9,000 candidates contesting the elections across the state.
Meanwhile, opposition parties alleged irregularities and obstruction during the counting process. In Patiala, SAD workers claimed they were prevented from entering a counting centre on the Patiala–Nabha road. SAD leader Jaspal Singh alleged that Rahul Saini, the son of Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, was present inside the counting centre, while authorised opposition representatives were denied entry.
At the counting centre at University College, Ghanaur, former MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur alleged that sitting MLA Gurlal Singh Ghanaur entered the premises without proper authorisation. Jalalpur claimed that despite having valid passes, he and his counting agents were stopped outside, while the MLA was allowed inside, and alleged that police personnel failed to act on their complaints.
Opposition leaders demanded immediate intervention by election authorities to ensure transparency and fairness in the counting process, warning that any continued interference would erode public trust in the democratic system. They reiterated earlier allegations that the ruling party had misused government machinery during polling, including claims that opposition candidates were prevented from filing nominations or had their nomination papers rejected unfairly.
Candidates from all major political parties, including the AAP, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP, contested the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections on party symbols, making the outcome an important indicator of political mood in rural Punjab.
