While the party is well in power after winning the Punjab civic body elections in 2021, the Congress is now gearing up to do well in the upcoming elections on December 21.
Elections for five municipalities and 44 municipal councils are being held in the backdrop of the recently concluded assembly by-elections to four seats in Punjab. The Congress won only one of the four seats: Barnala. Earlier, the seats of Giddarbaha, Dera Baba Nanak and Chabewal went to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The party has said that the preparation has been accelerated by holding a meeting with the screening committee to distribute tickets on the basis of merit. State Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Waring says the party is focused on electing strong, committed candidates to serve the people and ensure good governance.
As the State Election Commission has approved the nominations and the last date for filing the nominations is 12 January, Waring and other senior leaders are holding meetings to select candidates for the upcoming elections.
Overall, the Congress appears poised and confident, with the political landscape suggesting a complex scenario in the backdrop of the summoning of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders by the Akal Takht, the punishment meted out to them, the attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal, and the late lifting of the paddy crop, which affects the economic cycle in small towns and cities. .
Performance of Congress in previous elections
In 2021, the Congress won all eight municipalities: Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, Batala, Pathankot, Mohali and Moga. Out of 109 Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats, the Congress has won 78 seats on its own, and a total of 98 with the support of 20 independent candidates. The swing in favor of the Congress compared to the 2015 municipal elections in Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Moga and Pathankot districts was evident from the fact that from 11 seats in those elections, the Congress improved its tally to 149 in 2021.
These results indicate a significant dominance of the Congress in the urban local bodies of Punjab. The AAP, then in opposition, put up a fight but failed to win any significant number of seats in many municipal bodies, and the SAD, fighting alone after parting ways with the BJP, saw little impact.
The then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had said that the victory of the Congress was not only a validation of his government’s development oriented policies and programs but also a complete rejection of the anti-people activities of the main opposition parties i.e. SAD. AAP and BJP.
Stating that this was the first major election to be held in Punjab after the implementation of the farm law, Amarinder said the results also underscored public anger towards the BJP, which was responsible for the anti-farmer law. Alliance, SAD and the ruling AAP in Delhi.
However, before the end of the year, Amarinder faced a rebellion within his party led by Navjot Singh Sidhu and was removed as Chief Minister. Then he formed his own political organization. In 2022, after the Congress was handed a humiliating defeat by the AAP in the assembly elections, he merged his Punjab Lok Congress with the BJP.
As the ruling parties have a track record of performing well in local body elections ranging from panchayats to municipal corporations, the Congress hopes to put up a good fight and turn up in good numbers.