Chandigarh, May 30 -- The Punjab civic poll results have dealt a fresh setback to the Congress in a state where the party is seen as the principal challenger to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Despite several leaders gunning for the chief minister's chair, the Congress failed to deliver strong performances in their strongholds, exposing the party's organisational weaknesses and internal divisions months before the high-stakes 2027 assembly elections. Contesting 1,550 seats across the state, the party managed to convert only 397 (25%) into victories.

The party suffered the worst drubbing in Gidderbaha, considered the bastion of Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. The AAP clinched 17 out of 19 seats in Gidderbaha mun...