Punjab Election 2017 results surprise all parties, AAP fights Akalis for second position

The Congress is set to form the government in Punjab after a gap of 10 years

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amrinder Singh

Last Updated : Mar 11 2017 | 11:20 AM IST

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has not sent out a single tweet since the television channels began broadcasting the election results on Saturday morning, indicating a somber mood in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which was expected to win both Punjab and Goa.

The early indications suggest that the Congress was way ahead in Punjab. Of the 117 seats, the Congress was leading on 64 seats. Whereas Shriomani Akali Dal (SAD)- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance which was written off by all political pundits and journalists before the elections, has sprung a surprise by becoming the second largest party in the state. They were leading on 28 seats by 10.45 am.

The AAP, which fought its first assembly elections in Punjab, was at third place with 22 seats.

The AAP can decipher results in two ways. First it is an achievement that the party managed to win 24 seats in its first election while faced with the formidable challengers such as SAD-BJP and the Congress. Secondly it needs to realize that it has to build a strong cadre on the ground, learn to quiet the internal fighting, and grow beyond the image of an anti-corruption crusader. The party every time can’t ride on Kejriwal popularity and needs to promote more regional leaders. AAP mostly relied on its Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, who doesn’t enjoy a good image among urban voters and women.

Outcome of the Punjab elections showed that SAD continues to enjoy support among the rural population of Punjab, where people have benefited from its schemes in past 10 years. The panthic (Sikh sect) voters appeared to have rallied behind the SAD. Before elections, SAD leaders were accused of corruption and nepotism. SAD-BJP alliance had expected that the strong anti-incumbency against them would reduce them to 10-15 seats.

Similarly, the Congress, which was at third position before the polls, was also surprised with the early trends. Its own leaders had expected a tough fight with AAP and gave the latter around 40 seats. The Congress had expected that the AAP would get lion share of anti-incumbency votes and it would hurt its chances in the elections.