A year before the Punjab Assemblyelections, the semifinals of political power in the state is about to begin. Afterthe announcement of eight Municipal Corporation and 109 Municipal Councilelections yesterday, Congress, AAP, SAD and BJP have started their preparationsfor the elections.
The credibility of these four parties isat stake in this election. The term of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is due to end inMarch 2022. It will be for the first time in this election that Shiromani AkaliDal and the Bharatiya Janata Party will fight against each other.
It is a general observation andperception that the ruling party has the upper hand in these elections. Thepeasant movement spearheaded by the people of Punjab is at its peak at themoment. It is likely to have an enormous impact on these elections. The CheifMinister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh will try to increase his influence bywinning the election. The four parties will contest on their respectiveelectoral symbols.
100Assembly Seats to be covered
The forthcoming elections for MunicipalCorporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats will cover more than 100 VidhanSabha constituencies. In Punjab, the four parties will contest for 117 Assemblyseats.
Bathinda, Abohar, Batala, Kapurthala,Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Moga and Pathankot are the major cities in these elections.
The reputation of Ashwini Kumar of BJPin Pathankot, Sunil Jakhar of Abohar, Manpreet Badal and Harsimrat Badal ofBathinda, Sham Sundar Arora of Congress in Hoshiarpur and Tikshan Sood of BJP, RanaGurjeet from the Congress at Kapurthala is at stake.
Meanwhile, for the first time inKapurthala, Municipal Coroporation elections are going to be held.
Whatare the political implications for Amarinder Singh?
Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singhhad in the last assembly elections said that he would not contest the 2022assembly elections but later he backtracked and hinted at contesting the electionsof 2022.
In such a scenario, if the Congress winsthe elections for Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and NagarPanchayats, then the Congress' Assembly claim will become even stronger. Atpresent, the Congress party is trying to please former cabinet minister NavjotSingh Sidhu and he can return to the cabinet at any time.
If present situation is ascertained,Amarinder Singh wants to win this election on his own. He wishes to capture asmany seats as possible so that their claim in the forthcoming assemblyelections becomes strong.
Politicalsignificance for Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
There are many urban and semi-urbanareas in Punjab where the Shiromani Akali Dal is contesting this election forthe first time after it separated from their long term ally Bharaitya JantaParty (BJP). SAD is said to be under pressure as far as their performance isconcerned.
The credibility of SAD President SukhbirSingh Badal would also be at stake. It is also important for SAD to win moreseats in these elections because the more seats the SAD candidates have, theclearer it will be for SAD to have a seat as the primary opposition party.
Bathinda and Mohali currently have themayors of SAD but it is important for them to retain their seats. Similarly,Pathankot and Hoshiarpur also have BJP mayors.
Politicalsignificance for the BJP and its future
It seems difficult for the BJP to winthis election. Although the BJP has a good vote bank in Punjab, the farmersprotest is an enormous hurdle that can prove to be a hindrance.
In Pathankot, BJP's Anil Vasudeva is thepresent mayor. Both Anil and BJP State President, Ashwani Sharma, seems to havestrong hold in Pathankot, however, due to the ongoing farmers' agitation thisis going to be a tough fight now.
In Hoshiarpur, BJP mayor Tikshan Soodwill try to retain its seat. Batala is called the stronghold of the BJP andmaintaining it as a stronghold will be a challenge for them.
In these elections, the Akali Dal willtry its best to somehow break the seats of its long term ally BJP. Findingcandidates for 109 Municipal Councils will also be a major challenge for theCongress in these elections.
Politicalsignificance for Aad Aami Party
Agitation of farmers has become a goldenopportunity for the Aam Aadmi Party, in which it has got a chance to show itsprowess. The farmers' protest has also enhanced the image of the Aam AadmiParty. In such a scenario, if the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party remains atnumber two, it will have a direct battle with the Congress in the upcomingassembly elections. It will directly benefit them in the Assembly Elections of2022.
At the same time, the BJP leader fromKapurthala has recently joined the fray, which could be a wake-up call for theBJP.
Areasin which elections are going to held
Votes will be cast for Gurdaspur,Kapurthala, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Abohar MunicipalCorporations of Fazilka district. Apart from this, ward no. 37 that is reserved for backward castes, therewill be by-elections.
Similarly, Municipal Council / NagarPanchayat elections are going to be held in Ajnala, Ramdas, Raiya, Majitha andJandiala Guru of Amritsar district while Bhikhiwind and Patti in Tarn Tarandistrict, Gurdaspur, Sri Hargobindpur, Fatehgarh Churian, Dhariwal, Qadian inGurdaspur district are other areas where elections are going to be held.
Elections are going to be held inDinanagar and Sujanpur in Pathankot district. Similarly, elections will be heldin Nakodar, Noormahil, Phillaur, Kartarpur, Alavalpur, Adampur, Lohian andMehtapur districts of Jalandhar district while Sultanpur Lodhi of Kapurthalaand Dasuya, Mukerian, Urmur Tanda, Garhshankar, Garhdiwala, Haryana.
Apart from the above mentioned areas, Nawanshahr,Banga and Rahon in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Khanna, Jagraon, Samrala,Raikot, Doraha and Pyal in Ludhiana district will also conduct the elections ofMunicipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats.
The district of Rupnagar has AnandpurSahib, Kiratpur Sahib, Nangal, Morindaand Chamkaur Sahib while Fatehgarh Sahib district has Sirhind Fatehgarh Sahib,Gobindgarh, Bassi Pathana and Khamanon.
The district ofBarnala will have, Tapa, Bhadaur, Dhanola, it will also include Kharar,Zirakpur, Dera Bassi, Kurali, Nawangaon and Lalru of Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagarwhile Bhucho Mandi, Goniana, Maur, Rama, Kotfatta, Sangat, Kotheguru, Mehraj,Kotshmir of Bathinda district , Lehra Mohabbat, Bhairupa, Nathana, Maluka andBhagta Bhaika.
Apart fromMansa, Budhlada, Bareta, Boha and Joga in Mansa district, Muktsar, Malout,Gidderbaha in Sri Muktsar Sahib district and Ferozepur, Guru Harsahai, Zira,Talwandi Bhai, Mudki and Mamdot in Ferozepur district and Fazilka and Jalalabadin Fazilka district, the elections are going to be held in Faridkot, Kotkapuraand Jaito that fall in Faridkot district.
Similarly, Badhanikal,Kot Issa Khan and Nihal Singh Wala in Moga district will also go for elections.By-polls are going to be held in three wards of two Nagar Panchayats /Municipal Councils including Hoshiarpur district ward no. 1 reserved for womenwhile ward no. 11 is reserved for Schedule Castes (SC) and ward no. 8 ofMullapur Dakhan will also vote.