The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) put up a dominant show in Punjab’s rural local body elections, winning over 200 zones of zila parishads and taking the lead in a majority of panchayat samiti zones, according to results declared so far on Thursday.
While the final picture is still emerging with ballot paper counting underway, early trends point to a clear advantage for the Bhagwant Mann-led party in rural Punjab.
AAP sweeps Punjab Zila Parishad elections
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has swept the Punjab Zila Parishad Elections 2025, winning 218 of the 347 zones. The Congress was distant second with just 62 wins, followed by SAD’s 46. The BJP performed poorly in the local body elections, winning just 7 zones.
AAP leads zila parishad results as counting continues
On December 14, polling was conducted to elect members across 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis.
Of the 317 zila parishad zones whose results have been declared so far, AAP has secured victories in 201 zones, placing it well ahead of its rivals, officials said.
The Congress followed at a distant second with 60 zones, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 39 zones. The BJP managed to win four zones, the BSP three, and Independents claimed 10 zones.
District-wise performance shows AAP’s rural spread
AAP’s wins were spread across several districts, underlining its rural reach. The party won 22 zones in Hoshiarpur, 19 each in Patiala and Amritsar, 17 each in Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, and 15 zones in Sangrur.
The Congress secured eight zones each in Ludhiana and Gurdaspur, seven in Jalandhar, and six each in SBS Nagar and Ferozepur. SAD’s strongest showing came from Bathinda, where it won 13 zones, followed by Faridkot (five) and four each in Amritsar and Mansa.
The BJP’s four zila parishad wins came from Pathankot.
AAP leading in panchayat samiti polls
In the panchayat samiti elections as well, AAP was leading in the majority of zones, according to results declared so far, reinforcing the party’s edge in the rural tier of local governance.
Complete results are awaited as the counting process is still underway.
Kejriwal claims rural mandate for Mann government
Reacting to the trends, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the results reflected rural voters’ approval of the Bhagwant Mann government’s performance.
Addressing the media in Mohali alongside Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal rejected opposition allegations of “high-handedness” and said the elections were held in a fair and free manner.
“Almost 70 per cent seats in zila parishad and panchayat samiti polls have been won by AAP,” Kejriwal said.
Opposition cries foul, alleges misuse of machinery
The opposition, however, disputed the AAP’s claims. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused the ruling party of “stealing” the rural mandate.
STOLEN GLORY@AAPPunjab may bask in STOLEN GLORY of “sweeping” the rural mandate, but it knows pretty well where it stands.
We know it. They know it. People of Punjab know it.
They have NOT swept the elections, they have STOLEN these.— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) December 18, 2025
Both the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal have earlier accused the AAP government of misusing official machinery and adopting a high-handed approach during the polls.