Punjab rural polls: APP chief Arvind Kejriwal says thin margins in 580 seats, stresses fair elections

CHANDIGARH: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, addressing media after the party's win in rural polls, said there were 580 seats where the winning margin was less than 100 votes. "Of these, 261 have gone to AAP and 319 to opposition parties.

If AAP misused official machinery, all these seats would have been in AAP's kitty. But we wanted a fair election to gauge the voters' mood," he said.

Citing examples, Kejriwal said in Sangrur district, the Phagwala zila parishad was won by the Congress by a mere five votes. In Kotbhai zone of Sri Muktsar Sahib, Congress won by 41 votes. In the case of Fatehgarh Sahib, Lakhanpur zone went to Congress by only three votes. In Jalandhar's Gill zone, Congress won by three votes, in Ludhiana's Bajra, Congress won by three votes. Congress won by four votes in Gurdaspur's Chhabuwal and Ghurewaha zones. Mann added there were zones like Dhura panchayat samiti in Dhuri where Congress won by a mere nine votes.