As the four municipal corporations in Punjab head for the end-of-term elections in January 2023, the state’s local bodies department has started poll preparations by appointing administrators. Along with it, there are 41 municipal councils also heading for the end-of-term elections. There are a total of 166 civic bodies in Punjab.
Apart from the four, Phagwara municipal corporation constituted in 2020, will also go to polls for the first time.
The upcoming polls of the civic bodies will be seen as a test of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s nine months regime. AAP came to power in March 2022 with a thumping majority by winning 92 seats out of 117. Other political parties will also eye this as an opportunity to regain their lost ground.
Although experts said that the trend that the ruling party usually gets the majority is likely to continue.
In the previous civic body elections, Congress had won in all four municipal corporations - Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar and Ludhiana.
Delimitation starts
Ahead of the upcoming polls, the local bodies department has started delimitation of the wards as municipal corporations and municipal towns have witnessed an increase in population over the past five years.
The municipal corporations due for term-end elections include Amritsar and Patiala on January 22, Jalandhar on January 24 and Ludhiana on January 26.
{{/usCountry}}The municipal corporations due for term-end elections include Amritsar and Patiala on January 22, Jalandhar on January 24 and Ludhiana on January 26.
{{/usCountry}}“The municipal corporation where the term has ended will get municipal commissioner rank officers as administrators and in case of municipal councils’ sub-divisional magistrates will be given charge as the administrators, and in the meanwhile, the department is working on ward-bandhi (delimitation of wards),” said director of local bodies Uma Shankar.
The process for delimitation of wards in municipal councils has already started for which the objections have been invited from the political parties and the residents. For delimitation of the municipal corporations, the process is expected to kick off in the next week.
The term of seven municipal councils is already over since March 2020, and that of 32 municipal councils will also end by February 2023.
The Phagwara municipal council was upgraded to a corporation in 2020 and will go for polls to elect its body for the first time.
There are seven municipal councils in the smaller town-- Dera Baba Nanak. Sardoolgarh, Sanaur, Tarn Taran, Nadala, Sangrur and Rampura Phul, where the terms of the elected bodies ended between March 3 to 13, 2020, would also go for polls.
Also, the terms of 34 other municipal councils and notified area committees would end between December 31, 2022, to February 14, 2023, which would subsequently go for polls, and the government may appoint the administrators as a stop-gap arrangement so that the day-to-day work continues.
“After the process of delimitation is over, a final notification will be issued by the state government. On deciding on a suitable schedule for the polls the state election commission will be intimated for the conduct of the polls,” said local bodies minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, adding that it would be fair and free elections.