AAP Dominates Doaba Region in Punjab District and Panchayat Elections

Chandigarh: The results of Punjab’s District Council and Block Committee elections have brought cheer to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as the party made significant inroads into the Doaba region, traditionally considered a Congress stronghold. The only exception in the entire election was Nawanshahr, where Congress managed to retain its lead.

AAP Emerges as the Leading Party
Voting for 346 District Council zones across 22 districts and 2,838 Block Committee zones for 153 committees was held on December 14, with results declared on December 18. In the District Council elections, AAP secured 218 zones, while Congress won 62, Shiromani Akali Dal 46, BJP 7, and BSP 3 zones. Independent candidates claimed victories in 10 zones.

In the Block Committee elections, AAP again led with 1,531 seats, followed by Congress 612, Shiromani Akali Dal 445, BJP 73, BSP 28, and independents 144 seats.

Congress and BJP Falter in Doaba
In Doaba, covering the districts of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Nawanshahr, AAP established dominance. Out of 66 District Council seats, AAP won 41, Congress 19, BSP 3, Shiromani Akali Dal 2, and one independent candidate also succeeded.

Independent Candidates Outperform BJP
Out of 566 Block Committee seats in Doaba, 546 were contested due to some uncontested seats in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala. AAP won 288, Congress 158, Shiromani Akali Dal 44, BSP 28, BJP 12, and 36 seats went to independent candidates.

District-wise Highlights

• Hoshiarpur: AAP won 22 of 25 District Council seats; Congress took 3. In 208 Block Committee seats, AAP won 127, Congress 39, BJP 12, Shiromani Akali Dal 9, independents 3, and BSP 1.
• Jalandhar: AAP won 10 of 21 District Council seats, Congress 7, BSP 3, and Shiromani Akali Dal 1. In 188 Block Committee seats, AAP secured 78, Congress 61, BSP 19, Shiromani Akali Dal 18, and independents 12.
• Kapurthala: AAP won 5 of 10 District Council seats, Congress 3, Shiromani Akali Dal and independents 1 each. Out of 88 Block Committee seats, AAP won 138 (including uncontested seats), Congress 24, independents 17, Shiromani Akali Dal 8, and BSP 1.
• Nawanshahr: Congress performed strongly, winning 6 of 10 District Council seats and 33 of 82 Block Committee seats, while AAP won 4 District Council and 29 Block Committee seats.

These results reaffirm AAP’s influence in rural Punjab, particularly in the Doaba region, while Congress remains strong only in select districts like Nawanshahr. The Shiromani Akali Dal made modest gains, and BJP’s presence continues to be limited.