New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has registered a historic win in Punjab Assembly Elections by winning three-fourth majority in the 117-member Assembly. Much like Delhi, the party has won historic mandate in Punjab, winning 92 seats – the highest number of seats won by any party in the state in over 4 decades.
The ruling Congress recorded one of its worst performances in the state, staking claim over just 18 seats while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended up with 2. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has bagged 3 seats and Bahujan Samaj Party has won only 1. Public anger against BJP & Akalis was evident from the farm protests but Congress is itself to blame for disastrous performance.
Apart from dominant players including Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), other alliances that looked confident of strong showing in polls included BJP-Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. The alliance fell flat despite Captain’s big talk.
It is AAP’s maiden victory in the state. In 2017 elections, the party emerged as potent force but stopped short of overcoming bigger and seasoned rivals. Kejriwal-led party garnered good vote share last time too and had finished at second spot, just behind Congress. .
List of Successful Candidates in Punjab Assembly Elections 2022
The political battle looked increasingly bipolar since the beginning and as the Exit polls suggest, it’s turning out to be a two-party contest with AAP & Congress being the pivotal players. In most exit polls, AAP is projected to win the state by a landslide majority, cornering about 70-90 seats in the 117 member Assembly. Congress is seen fairing poorly while BJP & Akali Dal are likely to get thrashed by voters for ignoring the plight of farmers during farm protests.
The 2017 elections saw Congress under Captain Amarinder Singh storming to power with a clear majority. Strong anti-incumbency and big corruption charges led to the ouster of the Akali-BJP regime. For the first time, AAP took the plunge in Punjab and made a substantial mark with over 20% vote share
