Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has launched a sharp attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), accusing them of creating false narratives about their performance in the recent rural local body elections. Warring claimed that both parties are actively spreading "myths" to cover up their underwhelming show in the zila parishad and block samiti polls.
Allegations of Power Abuse and Manipulation
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on Monday, December 23, 2025, Warring, flanked by party colleagues Durlabh Sidhu and Hardeep Singh Kingra, presented detailed figures to counter the claims of the rival parties. He alleged that the AAP government abused its administrative power and manipulated the election process, yet failed to secure an impressive victory.
"The fact is AAP abused power and manipulated the election process, and still could not put up an impressive performance," Warring stated. He specifically pointed fingers at former Patiala SSP Varun Sharma, alleging he exposed AAP's "game plan" by instructing junior officers to prevent opposition candidates from filing nominations. "The police and election officials actually followed Sharma’s guidelines, which obviously were issued by the AAP government," Warring claimed.
A Detailed Breakdown of the Results
Warring provided a seat-by-seat analysis to debunk what he called AAP's attempt to "bask in stolen glory." He challenged AAP's claim of winning 220 out of 347 zila parishad seats. According to the Congress chief, the ruling party actually won only 136 seats through the electoral process, with even those victories being tainted by power abuse.
He broke down the remaining 84 seats AAP claims to have won:
- Boycotts occurred in 18 seats.
- In 11 seats, AAP won unopposed due to candidates being blocked from filing papers.
- Nomination papers were torn in 5 seats.
- Papers were arbitrarily rejected in 32 other seats.
Warring presented the final tally for zila parishads as: AAP 136, Congress 62, SAD 46, BJP 7, and others 11.
Block Samiti Seats: A Similar Story
The narrative was similar for the block samiti elections. Warring sought to expose AAP's claim of winning 1,592 seats. He asserted the ruling party genuinely won only 838 seats through the electoral process, securing the rest through "abuse and intimidation."
He detailed the irregularities:
- 149 seats saw boycotts.
- 212 seats were won unopposed as candidates were barred from filing nominations.
- Papers were rejected in 328 seats.
- Results were forcibly declared in AAP's favour in 74 seats.
The Congress president argued that the actual difference between AAP and Congress was minimal. Against AAP's 838 genuine wins, the Congress secured 603 seats "against all odds." The SAD trailed far behind with 420 seats, and the BJP managed only 66.
SAD's "Dismal" Show and Internal BJP Dynamics
Warring was equally scathing in his assessment of the Shiromani Akali Dal's performance, calling it "dismal." He stated that the SAD's influence was limited to just two districts—Bathinda and Muktsar—and it drew a complete blank in ten districts. He ridiculed SAD leaders' claims that the rural polls revived the party and that it finished ahead of the Congress.
When asked about former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh praising SAD chief Sukhbir Badal while criticising his father Parkash Singh Badal, Warring expressed bewilderment. He wondered how Sukhbir Badal could "tolerate the insult of his father in trade off for his own praise."
Warring also commented on the internal dynamics of the BJP, referencing state president Sunil Jakhar's claim that "I could not pay Rs 350 crore to be the chief minister." The PCC chief pointed out that Jakhar's BJP colleague, Amarinder Singh, had already refuted such allegations. "Meaning one of them is wrong. Both cannot be correct at the same time," Warring concluded, highlighting the contradictions within the opposition camp.
