CHANDIGARH: Punjab is gearing up for the upcoming civic body elections scheduled for 21 December. Voters will decide the fate of five municipal corporations—Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, and Phagwara—along with 44 municipal councils and by-elections to several other urban civic bodies. The counting of votes will also take place on the same day.
This election marks a significant four-cornered contest between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhuri announced that polling for the municipalities will be conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs), a departure from the recent panchayat elections where ballot papers were used. Filing of nominations begins on Monday, 9 December, with the last date being 12 December.
The scrutiny of nominations will be carried out on 13 December, while 14 December marks the deadline for withdrawal of nominations and the allotment of symbols.
“The five municipal corporations going to the polls are Amritsar, Jalandhar, Phagwara, Ludhiana, and Patiala, spanning a total of 381 wards. With this announcement, the model code of conduct has been imposed in the state. The expenditure limit for candidates contesting these elections has been fixed. For municipal corporations, the limit is Rs 4 lakh, while for municipal councils, it ranges between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3.6 lakh,” Chaudhuri stated.
A total of 37.32 lakh voters, including 17.75 lakh women and 204 others, are eligible to exercise their franchise. Authorities have identified 1,609 polling locations and 3,717 polling booths, with 344 classified as hypersensitive and 665 as sensitive.
To ensure a smooth electoral process, 20,486 personnel from Punjab Police and Home Guard jawans will be deployed, alongside 500 patrolling parties and 283 striking reserves.
The outcome of these elections is expected to reveal urban voters’ political preferences, as they will be conducted on party symbols, unlike the recent panchayat elections.
In the last municipal elections for Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Patiala, the Congress secured comfortable majorities. This time, the party is expected to put in a strong effort to retain its hold over these municipalities.
The contest promises to be fierce, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) participating under the leadership of its recently elected state president, Aman Arora.
The BJP will test the strength of its urban voter outreach, contesting alone after previously aligning with the Akali Dal. Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which had stayed away from the recent panchayat polls, has confirmed its participation in these elections.
With the stakes high and all major political parties involved, the urban civic body elections are set to be a critical barometer of Punjab’s political landscape.