Punjab AAP to accept application for municipal polls from Dec 1

Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab President Aman Arora held meetings with party leaders, legislators, and ministers to discuss the elections to five municipal corporations and 42 municipal councils, saying applications for candidates will start from December 1.

Arora said like the by-elections, the party would also win the municipal elections by a significant margin.

“We are confident that we will achieve a significant lead in these elections as well,” he said, adding, “The victory in the by-elections has boosted the morale of party workers, and this will positively impact the municipal elections too.”

Arora said that the state government is committed to the all-round development of Punjab's cities. He highlighted the importance of municipal elections in planning and implementing development projects for cities.

Expressing hope for free and fair elections, he said that post-elections, the pace of development work in cities would accelerate. “We will pave the way for transparent and honest governance in local administration as well,” he said.

He said the party “is preparing separate plans for each city. Some issues are common everywhere, but every area has unique problems, and these are also being considered.”

Arora announced that starting December 1, the party will begin accepting applications for councillor candidates in all municipal corporations and councils. He said the selection process would prioritise merit, loyalty to the party, the social composition of the area, and the candidate's winning potential.

He urged party members aspiring to contest the elections to contact their local party officials or legislators to submit their applications. “Each application will be thoroughly reviewed,” he said.

During the meeting, Arora announced the appointment of AAP ministers as observers for the five municipal corporations -- Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Phagwara.

Cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was appointed as the observer for Amritsar, minister Harbhajan Singh ETO for Jalandhar, Barinder Goyal for Patiala, and minister Tarunpreet Singh Sondh for Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, while MP from Hoshiarpur, Raj Kumar Chabbewal, was appointed as observer for the Phagwara Municipal Corporation.