After AAP poor show in LS polls, MC elections in Punjab to be delayed further
AAP MLAs, including those from Amritsar and Ludhiana, have urged chief minister Bhagwant Mann not to hold the civic body elections and give the party time to redraw its strategy in the urban areas.
After the Aam Aadmi Party’s disappointing performance in the urban areas of Punjab in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the state government has decided to delay the municipal corporation (MC) elections that are due for over a year. The AAP won three seats, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and Anandpur Sahib, in the parliamentary elections.
The elections to five municipal corporations of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and Phagwara are overdue yet the government has been postponing holding them. The terms of the civic bodies of Amritsar and Patiala ended on January 22, Jalandhar on January 24 and Ludhiana on March 26 last year. Besides, elections to 39 municipal councils and nagar panchayats are also due. The state has 47 civic bodies, including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Phagwara municipal corporations.
Originally scheduled in January 2023, the MC elections will be delayed further as the AAP reassesses its strategy.
Highly placed sources in the government said that MLAs from Amritsar, Ludhiana and other assembly constituencies have urged chief minister Bhagwant Mann not to hold the civic body elections and give the party time to redraw its strategy in the urban areas. Many party leaders are blaming the police and civil administration for not paying heed to AAP MLAs and workers.
“The dismal performance of the ruling AAP in the urban areas during the Lok Sabha elections is worrisome for the party. Even though the Congress didn’t do well either in the urban areas, the AAP is worried about its electoral prospects. The feedback from MLAs is that the workers and volunteers are feeling ignored in the urban areas. Thus, the decision to further delay the MC elections has been taken,” an AAP MLA said, requesting anonymity.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which didn’t win any seat in Punjab in the Lok Sabha elections, got the maximum vote share in the urban areas.
In Ludhiana, the biggest municipal corporation in the state, the BJP was ahead in five urban assembly segments. “The party will use the time to find suitable candidates and work in cities to garner political support,” the source said.
A senior official in the local bodies department confirmed that the file for notification of civic elections was sent to the CM’s office two months ago, but the approval is pending.
Though there is a case pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court to conduct the civic elections, the government will take its time and hold the polls in September-end or October, the source said.
Despite repeated attempts, Punjab local bodies minister Balkar Singh was not available for comment.
Officials in the CM’s office confirmed that the file was with them but added that the chief minister has to take a decision on the matter.
