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The Upcoming Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in Punjab, a move widely seen as a strategic warm-up for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday released its first list of 961 candidates for the upcoming Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in Punjab, a move widely seen as a strategic warm-up for the 2027 Assembly elections. The ruling party is treating the local body polls as a crucial organisational test to strengthen its grassroots presence and counter growing anti-incumbency.
Polling for 22 Zila Parishads—excluding Mohali, where elections have been postponed—and over 150 Panchayat Samitis is scheduled for December 14, with results to be declared on December 17. With barely 15 months left for the next Assembly elections, all political parties have intensified their efforts to consolidate their respective vote bases.
Grassroots Push Amid Anti-Incumbency
Facing increasing public discontent on multiple fronts, the AAP leadership is using the local body elections as a platform to rebuild its cadre at the grassroots level and sharpen booth-level voter mobilisation. Party leaders have been clearly informed that these polls will serve as a “performance test”, and those delivering strong results may be rewarded with Assembly tickets in 2027, while underperformers could be shown the door.
Since the election notification was issued on November 28, a flurry of political activity has been witnessed across the state. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s cabinet colleagues, ruling party MLAs and district leaders have stepped up constituency visits, public meetings and internal reviews to energise the party machinery.
Significantly, even before the formal announcement of the polls, the ruling party had undertaken a major reorganisation of its block-level units, a move political observers believe could offer AAP a structural edge in the upcoming contests.
Nomination Process Underway
As per the election schedule, December 4 is the last date for filing nominations. By Tuesday evening, 26 candidates had filed their nomination papers for Zila Parishad seats, while 115 candidates submitted nominations for Panchayat Samiti positions, indicating a sharp surge in political activity at the district level.
Election Commission Action Against BDPO
Meanwhile, the poll process saw its first administrative controversy when State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhari issued a show-cause notice to Dera Bassi Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) Baljit Singh Sohi for dereliction of duty. The BDPO allegedly remained absent from office on December 1, the very first day of nominations, leading to complaints from candidates who were unable to obtain mandatory No Objection Certificates (NOCs).
The action by the Election Commission has sent a firm message to officials across the state to ensure smooth, transparent and time-bound conduct of the electoral process.
