The upcoming May 26 elections to 105 urban local bodies in Punjab will feature 7,623 candidates, but the electoral process has been overshadowed by opposition allegations of arbitrary rejection of nomination papers. The controversy escalated in Barnala on Wednesday, where the town's three main markets—Sadar Bazar, Pharwahi Bazar, and Handiaya Bazar—remained shut until early afternoon in protest against the rejection of BJP candidate Rajni Rani's nomination papers from Ward 31 of the Barnala municipal corporation.
Opposition Protests and Allegations
Leaders from the Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) held a sit-in near the Barnala railway station and later marched through the markets, accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of influencing the rejection of opposition candidates' papers. Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhillon joined BJP and SAD leaders in the protest, stating, "There should be no room for such highhandedness in democracy."
Other participants included BJP district president Yadwinder Shunty, SAD Barnala in-charge Kulwant Singh, former municipal council president Sanjiv Shorey, rebel AAP leader Gurdeep Baath, and Rajni Rani's husband Joginder Pal.
Uncontested Election and Official Response
Following the rejection of Rajni Rani's papers and the withdrawal of another independent candidate, AAP candidate Tamanna Jindal was declared elected unopposed. Barnala Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh maintained that the papers were rejected "on merit," while AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer denied allegations of political interference.
Statewide Election Statistics
According to the State Election Commission (SEC), 79 candidates have already been elected unopposed. Of these, four are from municipal corporations, 47 from municipal councils, and 28 from nagar panchayats. After the withdrawal of nominations, 1,613 candidates remain in the race for eight municipal corporations, 5,144 for 76 municipal councils, and 866 for 21 nagar panchayats.
Earlier, nomination papers of 713 candidates were rejected during scrutiny on May 18. Counting of votes will take place on May 29. A total of 2,393 candidates withdrew their nomination papers after scrutiny, including 386 from municipal corporations, 1,695 from municipal councils, and 312 from nagar panchayats.
