Residents of Ward 8 in Ludhiana will remain without a representative in the municipal corporation, as the state election commission's latest notification for the May 26 bypolls has excluded the expected election for their area. The seat has been vacant since January 2025 following the death of councillor Rajkumar Raju, leaving the ward without a voice in the civic body for over a year.
Legal Implications and Article 226
This continued delay has prompted legal experts to point toward Article 226 of the Indian Constitution. Under this article, the high court holds the power to issue directions, orders, or writs to any government authority to enforce fundamental and legal rights. In the case of Ward 8, an interested party could invoke this power to seek a writ of mandamus, effectively asking the court to compel the state election commission to fulfill its constitutional duty of holding a bypoll.
Official Response and Opposition Accusations
Additional Deputy Commissioner Narinder Dhaliwal confirmed that while a request for the bypoll was submitted, the commission did not include it in the final schedule. We had put up a request, but now when the notification is issued, there is no mention about the bypoll. The state election commission is to take a call when to announce the election, he added.
Meanwhile, opposition parties—including the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—accuse the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is in power in Punjab, of avoiding the bypoll out of fear of defeat. Functionaries of various parties noted that residents are struggling with basic administrative tasks, such as document attestation, which now require visiting an MLA's office instead of a local councillor.
Planned Protests
The SAD and BJP have announced plans to protest the delay with the state election commission and the deputy commissioner. The absence of a councillor has caused significant inconvenience, and the opposition parties are demanding immediate action to ensure the bypoll is conducted without further delay.
