After skipping Assembly bypoll, Akalis to contest civic elections

After SAD opted out of Assembly bypoll following Akal Takht’s ban on president Sukhbir Badal’s campaign, the party has now decided to contest civic body elections, which are likely to be held by December end.

With AAP, Congress and the BJP already in the fray, the municipal corporations of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Phagwara and 42 municipal councils would witness a four-cornered contest.

Senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said Akal Takht Jathedar had stated that Sukhbir Badal cannot take part in any political activity till he completes tankha (religious punishment), thus we decided to not contest the Assembly poll.

He said, “We are contesting civic bodies as these are local elections and the demographic profile of urban local bodies is totally different.”

Party sources said in four Assembly bypolls held recently, the Akali Dal’s voter base opted for AAP candidates in rural areas.

The civic body elections would reflect the Akalis’ standing among the urban and semi-urban voters ahead of the 2027 Assembly poll. Moreover, the party would contest first civic elections after parting with the BJP in September 2020.

With the BJP flexing its muscles and AAP ruling the state, the elections are crucial for the Congress to remain connected with the urban voters, its core vote bank. The Jalandhar (West) Assembly bypoll held in June last year was won

by AAP.

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who today chaired a meeting with leaders in Ludhiana, said screening committees had been constituted at state level and for each corporation to select the candidates and handle the campaign.

Riding high on its recent win on three seats in the Assembly bypoll, AAP’s newly appointed state unit president Aman Arora has been holding meetings with party workers for the past four days.

Arora announced that party would give priority to its own workers and volunteers in ticket allocation for the civic elections.

We are contesting civic bodies as these are local elections and the demographic profile of urban local bodies is totally different. Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Senior SAD Leader