'ED party wiped out': Kejriwal strikes at BJP after Punjab civic sweep

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday hailed his party’s performance in Punjab’s urban local body elections after Aam Aadmi Party candidates secured a majority across the state’s municipal bodies.

The result, reported as a sweeping win in urban areas, comes at a politically significant moment for Punjab, where assembly polls are due early next year.

Kejriwal used the outcome to sharpen his attack on the BJP, describing it as the “ED party” and claiming that voters had delivered a strong rebuke to the ruling party at the Centre.

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A toast from the victor's gallery

In a post on X, Kejriwal thanked voters in Punjab and linked the result to public approval of the Bhagwant Mann government’s work.

He said the party had achieved a “spectacular” victory in the state’s urban areas and added that the “ED party has been wiped out.” He also alleged that the BJP had harassed people through raids on small traders in Punjab and argued that the election result amounted to public revenge for that conduct.

The remarks followed the counting of votes for the civic polls held earlier in the week.

More than a municipal affair

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann also welcomed the result, saying AAP had won a sizable number of wards and was leading in several others.

He said voters had rejected the opposition’s “politics of hatred” and backed what he described as development-focused politics instead.

Kejriwal, meanwhile, said the Punjab verdict reflected approval for his party’s governance in the state and indicated that AAP’s urban support base remained intact ahead of the next assembly election cycle.

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The numbers tell their own tale

The elections covered 102 municipal bodies across Punjab, including eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils, and 19 nagar panchayats.

Voting was held on May 26 using ballot papers, with turnout recorded at 63.94 per cent. A total of 7,554 candidates were in the fray, making the contest one of the more closely watched local polls in the state.

The outcome is being seen as important for all major parties, including AAP, BJP, Congress, and SAD, as Punjab moves closer to a multi-cornered political battle next year.