Punjab to hold municipal elections in december following Supreme Court directive
Chandigarh(The Uttam Hindu): Punjab is preparing for municipal elections in December following a Supreme Court directive. Polling will take place for municipal corporations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Phagwara, along with elections for 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. This comes after the bypolls to four Assembly segments, as the Punjab government sets the stage for another crucial electoral process. The elections, which will include byelections in 43 wards across various municipal councils, will be held in December, as per the government’s notification issued following the Supreme Court’s order. The State Election Commission is expected to announce the detailed election schedule soon.
According to the notification, elections will be held for the municipal corporations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Phagwara, in addition to the 44 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The government also plans to conduct byelections in 43 wards across these councils. The government aims to complete the election process before the Shaheedi Jor Mela in Fatehgarh Sahib. Preparations for these elections have intensified after the Supreme Court’s order, with the government speeding up urban development projects to engage the electorate.
To strengthen its urban presence, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has restructured its state leadership. Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, a key Hindu leader, has been appointed state president, while Batala MLA Sherry Kalsi has been named working president. The municipal elections faced significant legal challenges, 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 Court ordered the state to issue the election notification within 15 days and to conclude the entire process within the subsequent eight weeks.
Previously, on November 6, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued a contempt notice to the state government, demanding the election notification be issued within 10 days or face a fine of Rs 50,000 and contempt proceedings. The state challenged this order 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, resolving the case.
