The AAP on Monday emerged as the single largest party in Chandigarh municipal corporation polls upsetting the apple-carts of the BJP and Congress with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party now believing that their stake in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections has grown further.
Congress was pushed to the third while BJP emerged a close second but its sitting Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma tasted defeat at the hands of AAP. Akali Dal was relegated to a distant fourth with just one seat.
However, a section of Congress leaders pointed out that while it has not managed to win seats, its votes has not decreased substantially and claimed that in voteshare, it is ahead.
In the 35-member municipal corporation, AAP has won or is leading in 14, four short of majority, while BJP has won or is ahead in 12 seats. Congress won or leads in eight seats while Akali Dal has just one seat.
AAP's Arvind Kejriwal was quick to set the narrative for the party ahead of Punjab Assembly polls claiming the results were a "sign of change".
"People of Chandigarh today have chosen honest politics of AAP, rejecting corrupt politics. Many congratulations to all the winning candidates and workers of AAP. This time Punjab is ready for change," he tweeted.
AAP's Punjab in-charge Raghav Chadha echoed his leader and said Chandigarh was "just a trailer". He thanked the voters in Chandigarh for giving "such love and trust to a small and honest party", which contested elections for the first time in the municipal polls there.
AAP had emerged as the second largest party in the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls in Punjab ahead of the then ruling Akali Dal. However, it could not repeat its performance in Lok Sabha polls in the state or Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat.
AAP hopes to win Punjab this time with the election set to be a four-cornered contest between Congress, BJP and Amarinder Singh's party in alliance, Akali Dal combine and AAP. Twenty-two farmers organisations have also formed a party to fight the elections.
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