Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) could win just one of the 414 wards falling in the state's 32 municipal councils on Sunday.
Votes were polled and counted on the same day. When it came to the three corporations of Jalandhar, Patiala and Amritsar, the party could not manage to win even a single ward. Though AAP is the principal opposition party in Punjab legislative assembly and won 20 of the 117 seats in state elections, its popularity has been on the decline of late. In the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat byelection in October, AAP finished third; its candidate, Maj Gen Suresh Khajuria (retd), got only 23,579 votes.
According to data released by the state election commission, the party won from just one ward in Bholath municipality of Kapurthala.
The party has been trying to reorganize its state unit over the past few months, but it has failed to handle volunteers, who feel that top leadership in the state doesn't seem to be on the same page on several issues. "This election, there was no visible campaign of the party. To add to it, there was no fair play by the Congress, which further scuttled any chances of the party opening its account. There is a need for some serious introspection," said a party leader from Patiala.
Another leader said the freehand given to the state unit of the party had not helped either. "The Gurdaspur byelection was crucial for the party. Though Punjab leaders prevailed upon high command to contest the bypoll and the candidate was also chosen by local leadership, the campaign ran out of funds. Also, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal did not turn up for campaigning," added another party leader.
Suffering a loss in Patiala would be a disappointment for AAP, as Malwa has been its stronghold, unlike Majha. In Patiala, MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi has already parted ways with the party. After results for local bodies were declared on Sunday evening, its key leaders, including state president Bhagwant Mann and co-president Aman Arora, were not available for comment.
