Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has strongly condemned the manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managed to capture the Mayor's post in Kapurthala and the Municipal Council President's post in Chamkaur Sahib despite the people giving a clear mandate in favour of the Congress.
Raja Warring said that the people of Punjab voted decisively for the Congress in these civic elections, but AAP has once again proved that it believes in political manipulation rather than respecting the democratic verdict. In Kapurthala Municipal Corporation, the Congress won a decisive mandate by securing 31 out of 50 seats, while AAP won only 11 seats, Shiromani Akali Dal 3 seats, BJP 3 seats, and 2 seats were won by others/independents.
Despite this clear majority, AAP managed to secure the Mayor's post through post-poll political manoeuvring, raising serious questions about the sanctity of democratic institutions. Similarly, in Chamkaur Sahib Municipal Council, the Congress emerged as the largest party by winning 7 out of 13 wards, while AAP won only 3 wards and 3 seats were won by Independents. Yet, the Municipal Council President's post went to AAP, completely disregarding the mandate given by the people.
Raja Warring questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP leadership :
"If everything happened fairly, then answer one simple question when the people voted overwhelmingly for the Congress, how did AAP end up occupying these top posts? Is this the 'badlaav' that AAP had promised, or is it an open assault on democracy?" He said that democracy is not merely about conducting elections but about honouring the people's verdict.
Capturing constitutional posts after losing the electoral mandate amounts to betraying the trust of the voters. The Punjab Congress President alleged that AAP has repeatedly misused the machinery of power to overturn public mandates instead of accepting electoral defeat with humility.
Such actions weaken democratic values and erode people's faith in elected institutions. Raja Warring asserted that the Congress Party will continue to expose every attempt to subvert democracy and will stand firmly with the people of Punjab in protecting their mandate.
"The people voted for Congress, but AAP occupied the chair. Punjab deserves an explanation. Democracy cannot be reduced to post-poll manipulation and political engineering."