chandigarh, May 25
Punjab is all set to witness a major political exercise on Tuesday as polling for the urban local body elections will be held across the state for eight Municipal Corporations, 75 Municipal Councils and 21 Nagar Panchayats. The counting of votes will take place on May 29, and the outcome is being closely watched by political observers as an important indicator ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
The civic elections are expected to provide a clear picture of the political mood among urban voters and are being viewed as a crucial test for all major political parties, including the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal.
According to the State Election Commission, polling will be conducted through ballot papers, and elaborate administrative and security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful and transparent elections. A total of 3,977 polling booths have been established across the state. Nearly 36,000 government employees have been deployed on election duty, while around 35,500 police personnel and Home Guard jawans have been stationed to maintain law and order during polling.
Officials said that five employees would be deployed at each polling booth, while senior IAS and PCS officers have been assigned district-level supervisory responsibilities. The State Election Commission has stated that 36,72,932 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the civic polls. These include more than 18 lakh male voters, over 17 lakh female voters and 226 voters categorised under others. The elections to the Municipal Corporations of Bathinda, Abohar, Batala, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Pathankot and Mohali are being seen as highly significant. Notably, elections are being conducted for the Barnala Municipal Corporation for the first time after its recent upgradation.
Initially, a total of 10,809 candidates had filed nominations after the elections were announced on May 11. However, after scrutiny and withdrawals, 2,393 candidates withdrew from the contest, while 79 candidates were elected unopposed. The final number of candidates contesting the elections now stands at 7,555. Among the political parties, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party has fielded the highest number of candidates at 1,801. The Congress has fielded 1,550 candidates, followed by the BJP with 1,316 candidates and Shiromani Akali Dal with 1,251 candidates. The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded 96 candidates, while 1,528 independents and 13 candidates from other parties are also in the fray. Political campaigning for the elections concluded on Sunday after hectic campaigning by candidates and senior leaders of all major parties. Roadshows, public meetings and door-to-door campaigns were organised in several cities and towns across the state. Due to the tight election schedule, candidates reportedly got only five to six days for campaigning after the withdrawal of nominations on May 19. Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the authorities to install CCTV cameras both inside and outside all polling booths to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process. The court further ordered that the CCTV footage should be preserved for at least one year and must not be destroyed without prior permission. The directions were issued by a division bench comprising Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Justice Deepak Manchanda while hearing petitions related to the civic body elections.
To facilitate smooth polling, the Punjab Government has declared a public holiday on May 26. All Punjab Government offices, boards, corporations, educational institutions and other government establishments, including those located in Chandigarh, will remain closed on polling day. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also announced special casual leave for its officers and employees.
The civic elections are also being seen as a performance test for ruling AAP MLAs and ministers, many of whom actively campaigned in their respective constituencies. Political observers believe the results could also indicate whether the BJP has succeeded in expanding its influence in Punjab’s urban areas through its aggressive campaign strategy. At the same time, Shiromani Akali Dal has urged the State Election Commission to extend polling hours from the current timing of 8 am to 5 pm to 7 am to 6 pm in view of the prevailing heatwave conditions. Senior Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema said longer polling hours would help improve voter turnout, especially among labourers and working-class voters who may find it difficult to vote during peak daytime heat.
