So far, Punjab has always had a bipolar fight during the municipal elections between the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance. Till now, the municipal corporations and most of the municipal councils have gone along with the ruling party in the state.
It is for the first time that Punjab is headed for intense and fierce four-cornered municipal elections scheduled for December 21. Elections are being held for five Municipal Corporations, 41 Municipal Councils and a number of ‘Nagar Panchayats’ across the state.
Despite strong anti-incumbency sentiment prevailing across the state, which was reflected during the parliamentary elections when AAP lost ten of the thirteen seats in the state, the ruling party is likely to have an edge over other opponents.
In the local bodies’ elections, the ruling party always has an advantage over others since the polls are conducted by the local officials, who unlike during other elections, are under direct control of the government. Local administration and police mostly play a partial role in these elections. Besides, there is a tendency among people to vote for the party in power in anticipation of getting various civic issues resolved and work done.
With government and administration at its command, the municipal elections in Punjab are going to be ‘AAP-centric’. It will be the “AAP versus the rest” in the mainly four-cornered contest between the AAP, the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal.
The SAD had opted out of the four assembly by-elections held in November but has decided to contest the municipal elections across the state. That is important for the party, as it cannot afford to stay away from the second-largest electoral process in the state. Moreover, these municipal elections are going to set the template for the assembly elections scheduled two years later. These elections also help the parties to keep their electoral machinery well-oiled and in continuous momentum.
The municipal elections are quite different from the parliamentary elections, while the party affiliations play a less important role than the candidate. A municipal councillor, unlike an MP or an MLA, is like a “next door neighbour” who always remains at the beck and call of the people. The greater the personal interaction, the greater the chances of victory irrespective of the party s/he belongs to.
It is for the first time that the municipal elections in Punjab will be four-cornered. Till 2018, when the last municipal elections were held in Punjab, it was mostly a bipolar contest between the Congress and the Akali-BJP alliance.
The two parties were in alliance till 2020.
Although the AAP had done substantially well in the 2017 assembly elections winning 20 seats, it had quite an insignificant presence during the municipal elections in 2018.
It will be for the first time that four parties are in the fray and all of them have strong pockets of influence. Given the 2022 assembly election performance, the AAP is spread across every nook and corner of the state. However, it definitely is not in the same position as it was during the assembly elections. The Congress, the BJP and the Akali Dal also have their own support bases.
While the AAP does have an edge, mainly because of being in power, the results will still be unpredictable in a four-cornered contest. Interestingly, there is unprecedented enthusiasm among the supporters of all four parties.
There was fierce competition for getting the nominations in all the four parties. That is reflective of the confidence of the aspirants, which comes from the public support for the party they can feel. That is why the elections will be as interesting and as unpredictable as they are promising to be.
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