656 file papers in Ludhiana on last day as nominations for MC polls close
Ludhiana SAD, BJP leaders express frustration over ‘unnecessary’ objections raised by election officials; total 682 nominations
As many as 652 candidates filed papers for the municipal elections on the last day of nomination filing on Thursday, taking the total number of candidates in Ludhiana to 682, according to official data.
The last-minute rush reportedly came due to a delay by political parties in announcing their candidates.
The candidates can withdraw their nomination till December 14 and the elections are scheduled for December 21.
Leaders from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed concern over what they said were “unnecessary objections” raised by poll officials, which delayed the filing process significantly.
Senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal criticised elections officials for raising ‘irrelevant objections’. He cited a case of where a SAD candidate whose voter card was recently registered was questioned.
“The norms state that a voter card issued even 24 hours before nomination filing is valid. Despite this, officials wasted time scrutinising unnecessary details,” Grewal said. He added that the ruling party was under pressure from the Supreme Court (SC) to hold these elections.
BJP district chief Rajnish Dhiman echoed Grewal’s grievances and said officials demanded ‘unnecessary’ documentation.
“They raised objections over minor mistakes and demanded no-objection certificates (NOCs) from departments like the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), which are not even required during parliamentary elections. This added an undue burden on the candidates,” he Dhiman said.
Sunita Rani, a senior BJP candidate, was the first to submit her papers in the morning.
“Knowing that the final day would be hectic, I ensured I completed the process early. From past experiences, I knew that filing papers early was the best strategy,” Rani said.
The SAD filed nominations for all 95 wards. SAD urban president Bhupinder Singh Bhinda expressed confidence in the party’s prospects, asserting that the party’s track record of development was driving public support back.
Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvinder Jolly joined the SAD and has been named the its candidate from Ward 24 in the Sahnewal.
District election officer Jitendra Jorwal said on Thursday that the state election commission has fixed the expenditure limits for the candidates contesting municipal elections.
He said a ₹4-lakh limit has been set for the candidates contesting corporation elections. Jorwal added those contesting council class 1 elections can spend up to ₹3.6 lakh, ₹2.3 lakh for council class 2, and the candidates contesting council class 3 polls can spend a maximum of ₹2 lakh. He added that the expenditure limit of ₹1.4 lakh has been notified for candidates contesting in nagar panchayats.
Observers take charge
To ensure peaceful, fair and transparent elections for the municipal corporation (MC), the state election commission has appointed two observers for Ludhiana district.
Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board secretary Ramvir and Food, Civil Supplies director Puneet Goyal assumed charge on Thursday. Ramvir will oversee elections in Machhiwara (15 wards), Sahnewal (15 wards), Mullanpur Dakha (13 wards), Malaud (11 wards), Khanna (1 ward) and Samrala (1 ward). For complaints, he can be contacted at 9530910331 or ramvir.goria@gov.nic.in.
Puneet Goyal will oversee polls in 95 wards of the Ludhiana MC and can be contacted at 7589443981 or puneet.goyal@ias.gov.in.
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