After struggling to find a footing for over four years, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has slowly started making inroads in the district otherwise dominated by rival groups.
The biggest noticeable shift came two days back when the AAP pulled off a surprise victory in the Kapurthala Municipal Corporation’s mayoral election despite lacking a numerical majority in the House.
The victory, achieved with the support of councillors from outside its own ranks, seems to have given a significant psychological and political advantage ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. It has also fuelled speculation that more local leaders and councillors could gravitate towards the ruling party in the coming months.
It marks a significant development as the party had failed to win any of the four Assembly seats falling in Kapurthala — Phagwara, Bholath, Sultanpur Lodhi and Kapurthala — in 2022 despite a huge wave in its favour.
With the latest win, the AAP managed to breach the citadel of Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, who had been comfortably placed since 2002. He or his family members have been representing the constituency for over two decades, winning in 2002, 2004 (bypoll), 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022.
While still lagging, the party is learnt to be looking for a suitable face to take on Singh.
Notably, Singh’s 2022 victory margin of 7,304 votes marked a significant decline from 28,817 in 2017.
The AAP has also tightened its grip over Phagwara with the appointment of Hoshiarpur MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal as the party’s in-charge. According to sources, the development has made two-time Congress MLA Balwinder Dhaliwal somewhat wary. Chabbewal, who crossed over from the Congress before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been spearheading the party’s expansion not just in Phagwara but across Kapurthala.
The ruling party is also looking to make inroads into Sultanpur Lodhi and Bholath. Rana Gurjeet Singh’s son and Independent MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh and Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira are comfortably placed in the two seats for now. However, Khaira taking on the government on a daily basis has made him a target as far as the AAP is concerned.