Congress Leader Warring Accuses AAP and Akalis of Making False Victory Claims

Punjab Congress Chief Accuses AAP, SAD of Misrepresenting Rural Election Results

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), accusing both parties of falsely inflating their performance in the recently concluded rural body elections across the state.

In a statement issued Monday, Warring alleged that the ruling AAP government misused state machinery to manipulate election outcomes, while SAD’s influence remained limited to specific pockets in Bathinda and Muktsar districts, traditional strongholds of the Badal family.

“What we witnessed wasn’t a fair democratic exercise but a calculated effort to undermine the electoral process,” Warring said, pointing to what he described as systematic interference by government officials during the nomination and voting phases.

The Congress leader’s most serious accusation centered around former Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Varun Sharma, whom Warring claimed had instructed subordinate officers to prevent opposition candidates from filing nomination papers. According to Warring, these directives were part of a larger strategy orchestrated by the AAP government to ensure favorable results.

“Police and election officials were following a playbook designed by the state government to intimidate opposition candidates and voters alike,” Warring alleged. “The evidence is clear when you look at the discrepancy between AAP’s claims and actual legitimate victories.”

The controversy surrounds the results of the Zila Parishad (district council) and Block Samiti (block committee) elections, which are crucial grassroots democratic institutions in Punjab’s rural governance structure. These bodies are responsible for local development projects and serve as important political barometers in the agrarian state.

While the AAP has claimed victory in 220 of the 347 Zila Parishad seats contested, Warring disputed this figure, stating that the party legitimately won only 136 seats through proper electoral processes. He characterized the remaining seats as products of intimidation and electoral malpractice.

According to Warring’s breakdown of the Zila Parishad results, Congress secured 62 seats, while SAD won 46 seats and BJP managed 7 seats. This tally presents a significantly different picture than the one projected by the ruling party.

Similarly, for Block Samiti positions, Warring challenged AAP’s claim of winning 1,592 seats. He asserted that the party actually secured 838 seats through legitimate electoral means, with the remaining victories allegedly resulting from coercion and interference. In comparison, Warring stated that Congress won 603 Block Samiti seats, while SAD and BJP secured 420 and 66 seats respectively.

The rural elections in Punjab hold particular significance as they often indicate political trends ahead of assembly or parliamentary contests. For the AAP, which swept to power in the 2022 assembly elections with a landslide victory, maintaining dominance in rural areas is crucial for consolidating its position in the state.

Political analysts note that these accusations reflect the increasingly contentious political landscape in Punjab, where Congress is working to rebuild after its defeat in the last assembly elections, while SAD struggles to reclaim relevance following setbacks in recent electoral outings.

The allegations come at a time when Punjab’s political parties are positioning themselves for future electoral battles, with control over local bodies providing significant advantages in terms of resource allocation and grassroots mobilization.

Neither the AAP government nor SAD has issued formal responses to Warring’s specific allegations regarding election manipulation, though both parties have previously celebrated their performances in the rural polls as endorsements of their political agendas.