AAP is on the path to a landslide victory.

Municipal Election Results: It is only natural for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to be upset by the results of the municipal elections in Punjab. Although all the results were not in till the time of writing these lines, it was clear that AAP is on the way to a landslide victory. The reactions of this party leaders also reflect the fact that they did not expect such a huge mandate from the people. Such a mandate is sure to awaken new vigour in the party ranks. However, the huge public response received almost eight months before the assembly elections is a confirmation of the fact that the common people are not unhappy with the performance of the AAP government and they are not yet in the mood to pay attention to other political parties.

The elections for 102 municipal bodies spread across three regions of Punjab - Malwa, Majha and Doaba - were held on May 26. Despite Suraj Dev being in full swing, 63.94 percent voters participated in the voting process. This figure represents the fact that people are fully aware of exercising their right to vote and are ready to face natural hardships for the sake of electing their representatives. 7554 candidates were in the fray for 1897 wards of 8 Municipal Corporations, 75 Municipal Councils and 19 Nagar Panchayats. The number of wards won by the 'AAP' being more than 50 percent and the not much difference in the performance of the Congress and the independent candidates shows that the distrust towards traditional political parties among the common voters has not gone away yet. Independent candidates winning in municipal elections is no exception. In every city or town, some personalities, through their socio-cultural and community work, create such an impact that people prefer them over the representatives of political parties. However, the victory of independents this time also indicates that political parties must have suffered losses somewhere during the selection of their candidates, the consequences of which they had to bear in the form of rebel leaders contesting elections as independents.

It is a common practice for the ruling party to emerge victorious in municipal or other local body elections. People often vote in favour of the ruling party with the belief that its representatives will be able to get public works done easily. But in Punjab for some time now, in view of the doubts raised about the law and order situation and the negative publicity arising from the financial crises faced by the state government, there was an impression that the Bhagwant Mann government was fading from the minds of the people. The ruling party has been successful in effectively removing this impression. Despite such success, the fact should not be ignored that the Aam Aadmi Party directly benefited from having three major opposition parties in the election arena instead of one. The division of votes against the government party among three or more parties automatically made the path of victory for the 'AAP' easy in many places.

Victory has its own charm. This charm should also be enjoyed. The next few days are for the leaders and supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party to beat drums and prepare langar of happiness. After these days, they will have to start preparing for the assembly elections. Victory in the municipal elections is not a guarantee that the results of the assembly elections will also be of the same shade. In a democracy, the wind against governments starts to emerge during the last days of their tenure. In this context, the example of West Bengal is before us. There, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, which had won the assembly by-elections by a margin of lakhs of votes six months ago, lost the same seats in the general elections by an equally large margin. There should be pride in the victory, but the veil of generosity and humility should not be left in the glow of pride. Such an approach is the real sign of political wisdom.