Elections – Punjab BJP Alleges Irregularities in Civic Polls, Submits Memorandum to Governor
Elections – The Punjab BJP has approached Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, alleging serious irregularities during the recently concluded elections for mayors in Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, and Nagar Panchayats across the state. In a memorandum submitted on Saturday, the party claimed that the electoral process failed to uphold the principles of free and fair elections and accused the state administration of acting in a partisan manner during the polls.
BJP Raises Concerns Over Electoral Process
According to the memorandum, the BJP alleged that the elections were affected by misuse of official machinery, political pressure, administrative interference, and procedural lapses at different stages of the process. The party argued that the constitutional framework for democratic governance through Urban Local Bodies was compromised due to the alleged conduct of officials working under the state government.
The memorandum further stated that the constitutional provisions intended to ensure transparent local governance had not been effectively implemented during the elections. It claimed that the integrity of the electoral exercise was weakened by decisions that allegedly favoured the ruling establishment.
Allegations Cover Nomination to Result Declaration
The BJP alleged that concerns began even before polling took place and continued after the results were declared. Among the issues highlighted were claims of politically motivated ward delimitation, obstacles faced by opposition candidates while filing nomination papers, alleged intimidation, incidents of physical assault, snatching of nomination documents, and misuse of police and administrative resources.
The party maintained that these developments affected the fairness of the election process and called for a closer examination of the manner in which the polls were conducted.
AAP Registers Victories in Key Civic Bodies
The Aam Aadmi Party secured victories in the Abohar Municipal Corporation and the Morinda Municipal Council elections held on Friday. However, the results immediately drew criticism from both the BJP and the Congress, with both opposition parties questioning the outcome and alleging misuse of authority during the election process.
The opposition parties claimed that the results did not reflect the numerical strength of elected councillors and demanded greater transparency regarding the conduct of the voting and counting procedures.
Questions Raised Over Abohar Mayor Election
The BJP specifically questioned the outcome of the mayoral election in Abohar. The party stated that it had the backing of 28 councillors along with the support of Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar, while the AAP had the support of 20 councillors. On this basis, the BJP said it was seeking clarification on how the AAP candidate was elected mayor.
The party argued that the final outcome required a transparent explanation, given the support figures it had publicly claimed before the election.
Amit Malviya Highlights Transparency Issues
BJP National Information and Technology Department in-charge Amit Malviya also commented on the Abohar election through a post on X. He alleged that despite the BJP emerging as the single largest party in the municipal corporation, the mayoral election was conducted through a secret ballot that has since become the subject of controversy.
Malviya referred to allegations including an unexplained postponement of the election, the absence of video recording during ballot counting, and claims that the Returning Officer announced the result without a transparent verification process before leaving the venue.
He further stated that similar allegations in any BJP-ruled state would likely have triggered widespread public debate and political criticism. According to Malviya, democratic standards and transparency should be applied uniformly, regardless of which political party is in power. He added that the people of Punjab deserve clear answers regarding the conduct of the election process