The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dominated the Batala Municipal Corporation polls and defied expectations in the Hindu-dominated Pathankot.The ruling party won 30 seats to wrest the Batala House from the Congress, while securing double-digits seats (10) in Pathankot.The party’s improved showing came at the cost of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which was reduced to just four seats from its previous combined tally of 137 in the two civic bodies. The Congress emerged as the closest competitor while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) struggled to maintain relevance.The elections, being viewed as the “semifinal” for the Assembly polls, were largely centred on hyper-local issues such as water supply, sewerage and garbage woes.Voters in the two districts maintained that besides civic issues, they also voted keeping in mind the issues of drug menace, which is rampant in the rural areas, and the scourge of gangsterism.The decimation of Sukhbir Badal-led SAD, particularly in Gurdaspur district where it was a force to reckon with, became a talking point.The AAP, meanwhile, rode to victory on its welfare pitch built around 600 units of free power, Rs10 lakh health insurance, reinforced rural organisation and monetary support to women and SC voters.