Punjab gears up for municipal elections in December after Supreme Court directive
Polling will be held for municipal corporations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Phagwara, along with 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats
PTC Web Desk: After the bypolls to four Assembly segments, the Punjab Government has set the stage for another significant electoral exercise. Elections for five municipal corporations and 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats will be conducted in December, as per the notification issued by the government following a Supreme Court directive. The State Election Commission is expected to announce the detailed election schedule soon.
According to the government notification, elections will be held for municipal corporations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Phagwara, along with 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Additionally, byelections will be conducted in 43 wards across various municipal councils.
The government aims to conclude the election process before the Shaheedi Jor Mela in Fatehgarh Sahib. Preparations for these elections gained momentum after the Supreme Court's order, with the government also expediting development projects in urban areas to engage the electorate.
To strengthen its urban outreach, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has restructured its state leadership. Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, a prominent Hindu leader, has been appointed as the state president, while Batala MLA Sherry Kalsi has been named the working president.
The municipal elections faced significant legal hurdles, with the issue escalating from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Supreme Court. On November 11, the Supreme Court directed the Punjab Government to complete the election process within 10 weeks. The apex court instructed the state to issue the election notification within 15 days and conclude the entire process within the following eight weeks.
Earlier, on November 6, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued a contempt notice to the state government, ordering it to issue the election notification within 10 days or face a fine of Rs 50,000 and contempt proceedings. The state challenged this directive in the Supreme Court, which upheld the necessity of conducting the elections promptly.
On November 21, the Punjab Government informed the High Court that the election notification would be issued by November 25, leading to the resolution of the case.