After recording a landslide victory in Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, an upbeat Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has started bracing for impending local bodies elections in five municipal corporations including Jalandhar and 41 municipal councils in the state.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has already approved funds worth ₹95.16-crore for Jalandhar during his maiden visit on May 17 post party’s victory in the bypoll. The special grant is specifically for the development of the area under the jurisdiction of Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. The civic body area is sprawled mainly in Jalandhar Central, Jalandhar North, West and Jalandhar Cantonment assembly segments.
The funds to Jalandhar MC will also help the administration to complete the pending development works before the corporation elections likely to be held in July.
Even Punjab local bodies minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar along with newly elected AAP MP Sushil Rinku, who once had been a councillor himself, held meetings with the top officials of Jalandhar MC on May 16 and directed them to ensure completion of pending developments works within stipulated time.
Meanwhile, the state government has already completed the process of delimitation process of the municipal wards for the civic bodies’ polls, while the notification for the announcement for the polls is yet to be made.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the state government has already completed the process of delimitation process of the municipal wards for the civic bodies’ polls, while the notification for the announcement for the polls is yet to be made.
{{/usCountry}}AAP ended the supremacy of the Congress on the Jalandhar parliamentary seat after its candidate Rinku got the better of Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary by 58,691 votes. The Congress remained undefeated in this constituency since 1999 before the AAP breached the Congress stronghold with the result of this bypoll on May 13.
In 2017, the AAP lost elections in all the 80 wards under the jurisdiction of Jalandhar MC as the Congress, which was in helm of affairs then, managed to win 65 wards, while the Bharatiya Janata Party won eight seats, Shiromani Akali Dal won five and two went to independent candidates.
However, in 2022 assembly segments, the AAP remained victorious in two urban constituencies—Raman Arora in Jalandhar Central and Sheetal Angural in Jalandhar West. Meanwhile, two of other segments Jalandhar North and Cantonment went into congress kitty.
Meanwhile, in bypoll results, the BJP registered victory in two urban constituencies Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar North with a margin of 546 and 1,259 votes, respectively.
MP Sushil RInku said the Jalandhar MC gets a major shot in the arm with approval of funds worth ₹95.16-crore for overall development of the city.
“The AAP has delivered on all promises it made to the people before the 2022 assembly elections and now before the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll. Even as I am yet to be sworn in as MP, the CM approved funds three days after my win and kept his promise of ensuring development of all the wards under the MC,” Rinku said.