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Punjab to conduct urban local body polls in November
Notifications issued for 39 municipal councils, while the schedule for five corporations namely Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Phagwara to be announced after the delimitation exercise
Elections to 39 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab will be held between November 1 and 15, according to a government notification. The state government has written to the state election commission to start the process of conducting polls in the first fortnight of November.
A notification for the polls in 39 councils and committees was issued two days ago and that of five corporations, where the delimitation exercise is underway, will be issued shortly. The municipal corporations that are due for the polls include Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Phagwara.
There are a total of 165 civic bodies in the state, including 13 municipal corporations.
The polls will be an acid test of popularity for the AAP which came to power in March 2022 with a thumping majority by winning 92 seats in the 117-strong state legislative assembly.
Three months after forming the government, the party lost the Sangrur parliament bypoll in June last year, however, it is upbeat now after a victory in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypolls in May.
Earlier the government had planned to hold the civic polls immediately after the Jalandhar parliament bypoll results, however pending delimitation delayed the decision.
According to AAP spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang, the party is upbeat and confident of a good show because the people of Punjab are appreciating the programmes and policies of the state government led by CM Bhagwant Mann.
The term of elected bodies of the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar and Patiala ended on January 22, Jalandhar on January 24 and Ludhiana on March 26. The elections in Phagwara MC and seven municipal councils are due in March 2020 and the term of councils and committees ended in February month.
The term of municipal councils - Dera Baba Nanak, Sardoolgarh, Sanour, Tarn Taran, Sangrur and Rampura Phul ended in March 2020.
In the absence of the elected bodies and their heads as mayors and presidents, the state government has appointed administrators to run the operations.
As per Municipal Act 1911, the polls are to be held within six months after the expiry of the five years terms of the elected general house. The state government has also decided to simultaneously conduct the bypolls in 32 wards of 30 civic bodies for which a notification has also been issued, which fell vacant after the death of the elected members.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Daljit Singh Cheema said that the people of the state would give a befitting reply to the misgovernance of the AAP government by defeating the ruling party’s nominees. “The Akali workers are already in the field and are working hard,” he added.
“For BJP the civic body elections are an opportunity to make a head start and we plan to contest the polls with full force,” said the saffron party’s state head Sunil Jakhar, adding that the party will work out a strategy for the upcoming polls.
Pending NOCs issue to be settled
The AAP government is also expected to take a decision on no objection certificates (NOCs) required for registration of the properties particularly the dwelling units, in 14,000 unauthorised colonies.
Earlier the government had fixed a cut-off date of agreements of the dwelling unit owners signed with the colony promoters by 2018 as eligible for getting properties registration with the state revenue department.
Now, these properties have been sold subsequently, but the registration has been stopped. The number of such properties is in lakhs, a cause of unease for the government for indecisiveness. “We are hopeful that the government will take a decision on the matter shortly,” said an officer in the local bodies department.
