Complete results are still pending since ballot paper counting is ongoing, officials reported.
Preliminary trends indicate that the AAP has taken the lead in most zones across zila parishads and panchayat samitis. The Congress is in second place, followed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
In the zila parishads, AAP secured victories in over 60 zones, while the Congress led in more than 10 zones, the SAD in three, the BJP in one, and independents in two.
In the panchayat samitis, the ruling party is ahead in over 1,000 zones, with the Congress in more than 250 zones, the SAD in over 170, the BJP in over 25, and other candidates in 65 zones.
Polling took place on December 14 to elect representatives for 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis.
The SAD achieved wins in several key blocks, including Mehal Kalan in Barnala, where its candidate Jaswinder Kaur defeated AAP’s Swarnjit Kaur. The Mehal Kalan block includes Kurar, the native village of AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meethayer.
It also claimed victory in the Jagdev Kalan block of Amritsar, the home of AAP MLA and former minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal.
SAD also triumphed in the Sandhwan block samiti, which is the native area of Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.
AAP Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora remarked that the results thus far reflect the public’s trust in the ruling party’s governance.
He expressed appreciation to the people of Punjab for what he described as a “resounding mandate” and a clear endorsement of the government’s people-centric policies. Arora also stated that these elections were among the most peaceful and fair local body elections in recent times.
“As results continue to come in, a clear and decisive mandate in favor of the Aam Aadmi Party is evident. I congratulate all Punjabis for strengthening democracy and placing their trust in good governance,” he stated.
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He congratulated AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, party leaders, MLAs, candidates, and volunteers, stating that the victory is due to the government’s performance over the past few years and the hardworking efforts of the party’s grassroots volunteers.
“We approached the people’s court with the accomplishments of the AAP government over the last four years. The people of Punjab have validated our governance,” he added.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring expressed he was not surprised by the trends but felt satisfied with his party’s candidates’ performances.
In a message to the party cadres and leaders, the Punjab Congress Committee president congratulated them for their “perseverance and performance against a challenging electoral system imposed by the AAP government.”
“Considering the AAP government’s track record with a submissive administration and police, I am not surprised by the results and trends. However, I am content with our candidates’ performance despite the challenges,” he stated.
“The AAP may celebrate the manipulated and contrived results of these elections, but in reality, its countdown has begun,” Warring mentioned, predicting that the party will be shown the exit door within a year.
He further claimed that the ruling party compromised the electoral process by intimidating opposition candidates, blocking them from filing nominations, hindering their campaigns, and ultimately influencing results.
Warring asserted that the real contest will unfold during the assembly elections when the AAP will lack any supportive administration or police.
Echoing the Lok Sabha elections, where Congress decisively defeated AAP, winning three out of thirteen parliamentary seats, he stated a similar outcome would occur in the February 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections.
BJP leader Tarun Chugh accused AAP of the “open misuse” of governmental resources during the counting process and called for a fair and transparent procedure. He claimed democratic norms were “blatantly violated.”
AAP MLAs, along with their supporters, “forcibly entered counting centers early in the morning, obstructed opposition representatives, and misused governmental resources to skew the electoral process,” he alleged.
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Counting began at 8 am across 154 centers statewide. A voter turnout of 48% was noted, with over 9,000 candidates contesting.
Earlier in Patiala, SAD workers claimed they were denied access to a counting center on the Patiala-Nabha road. SAD leader Jaspal Singh alleged that Rahul Saini, son of Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, was allowed entry while opposition representatives were barred.
The opposition leaders demanded immediate action from electoral authorities to ensure transparent and fair counting, warning that continued interference would erode public trust in the democratic process.
Candidates from all major political parties—AAP, Congress, SAD, and BJP—contested the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections using party symbols.
