The Congress on Wednesday swept the Punjab civic polls as voters sent an unambiguous message to the BJP that its political survival in the state would be difficult if it did not relent on the controversial farm laws.

The Congress victory in a state that was the initial epicentre of the farmers’ movement was so resounding that even the main Opposition in the Assembly, the Aam Aadmi Party, got routed and the Shiromani Akali Dal barely managed to stay afloat.

The extent of the people’s anger could be gauged by the fact that BJP candidates could not open their account in many wards. The number of Nota (none of the above) votes was higher than the votes polled by the BJP, AAP and Akali Dal candidates in many areas.

Of the seven municipal corporations, the Congress gained big victories in six and emerged as the largest party in the seventh. The Congress snatched Bathinda from the Akali Dal for the first time in 53 years, signalling the turning political tide in Punjab amid the ongoing farmers’ movement.

The Congress won 271 of the 351 wards in seven municipal corporations, a strike rate of over 77 per cent, completing a dream run for the party that had been expected to grapple with anti-incumbency ahead of the next Assembly elections in 2022.

The Akali Dal won 33 wards, the BJP 20 and the AAP nine. Independents won 18.

In 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, too, the Congress dominated by bagging 1,078 wards, while the Akali Dal got 251, the AAP 50 and the BJP 29. Independents won 375 wards.

Making the most of the euphoria, the Punjab leadership of the Congress bypassed the party high command to announce a mission named “Captain for 2022” in favour of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Amarinder, 78, had announced before the Assembly polls in 2017 that he was contesting his last election.

State Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said at a media conference after the stunning victory: “All sections of Punjab voted for the Congress. The credit goes to the leadership of Amarinder Singh. People have demonstrated their faith in Captain’s leadership. Only he can steer the ship in these times of turbulence. We are today launching the campaign ‘Captain for 2022’.”

Although it will be difficult for the Congress high command to ignore his claim if Amarinder wants to lead the party in the 2022 Assembly elections, with his leadership getting hugely bolstered by the overwhelming victory in the civic polls, it is unthinkable in the Congress to announce the face for an election without the formal approval of the high command.

The Captain may have sealed the deal at his own level, anticipating that his detractors led by the mercurial Navjot Singh Sidhu would muddy the waters at a later stage.

The chief minister’s role in capitalising on the dominant sentiment in Punjab over the farm laws has been remarkable and his continuance as the supreme leader despite his advanced age would not have been open to dispute.

But the emphatic victory in the local elections, which left the challengers vanquished, has almost stamped out the possibility of a leadership change in Punjab.

While the BJP paid the price for railroading the farm laws, getting wiped out in its stronghold urban centres, the Akalis bled for partnering the party and remaining silent when the farm ordinances were brought in. The Akalis subsequently severed ties with the BJP.

Even the AAP suffered because it had failed to take the lead against the farm laws, with the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi initially sending out confusing signals.

While the Congress described the outcome as the beginning of a change in the country, former finance minister P. Chidambaram tweeted: “Does the Modi government still believe that the farm laws are popular and only a small ‘section’ of farmers of Punjab are protesting against them? The ministry of external affairs is fast losing credibility by becoming the ministry of extraordinary apologists for the government’s wrong domestic policies.

“The farmers are voters. So are migrant workers, MSMEs, the unemployed and the very poor families. When it is their turn, they will vote against the BJP like the Punjab voters.”