Patiala Civic Polls: 28 Wards Head to Re-Election Before Nov 18

Patiala is set to witness fresh municipal elections in 28 wards, with polling to be completed by November 18 under a Supreme Court order. The Punjab State Election Commission has stepped up preparations to ensure the schedule is met.

The Patiala Municipal Corporation election held in 2024 was declared void because of irregularities. Acting on the Supreme Court's instruction to hold a fresh election in 28 wards, the commission has set November 18 as the last date for the entire process. Local political activity in the concerned wards is expected to gather momentum.

The commission's investigation identified a number of grave problems across several wards. These included alleged efforts to stop opposition candidates from filing nominations, the snatching or tearing of nomination forms, and the exclusion of candidates from the contest. The commission therefore decided to cancel the results in the 28 wards and conduct a new poll.

The apex court has also put judicial supervision in place to make the re-election independent, impartial and open. Monitoring will cover the filing of nomination papers, their scrutiny, the allocation of election symbols and voting. Each of these steps is to be recorded on video, so that any complaint of wrongdoing can be verified later.

District election officers now face the task of meeting the November 18 timeline, including updating voter rolls and completing other preparations. Political parties and local voters are watching the developments closely. The re-election seeks above all to restore confidence in the vote in those wards where the previous process was found to have been compromised.