AAP releases candidates for Pathankot & Sujanpur civic polls amid rising political heat
Pathankot: Political temperature is rising ahead of the civic body elections in Pathankot, with major parties including Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP, and finally the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announcing their candidates late on Thursday night.
The AAP released its list of candidates for 50 wards of the Pathankot Municipal Corporation and 15 wards of Sujanpur after 11 PM. All these candidates are expected to file their nominations on the final day of filing. On Friday alone, 82 candidates submitted nomination papers. This includes 71 nominations for Pathankot Municipal Corporation and 14 for Sujanpur Municipal Council.
Among these, BJP led with 37 candidates, followed by Congress with 29 and Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) with 5 candidates.
Earlier on Thursday, three candidates had filed nominations in Pathankot. Overall, 68 candidates had filed nominations by Friday, bringing the total competition to 71 candidates in 50 wards of Pathankot and 14 candidates in 15 wards of Sujanpur so far.
With the final deadline set for 3 PM today, the total number of candidates is expected to rise sharply and may cross 300.Politics
Women candidates replace political veterans
This year’s elections have also seen a major shift due to ward reservation rotation, which has altered the political equations of several veteran leaders. Many established leaders were forced to step aside as their wards were reserved for women or SC categories.
As a result, several leaders have fielded their family members, including wives, daughters, daughters-in-law, and mothers.
Former Senior Deputy Mayor Vikram Mahajan has fielded his daughter-in-law Anmol Manhas from Ward 28. Similarly, Deputy Mayor Ajay’s wife Baby, Abhi Sharma’s mother Sunita, Surinder Rahi’s wife Reema, Gaurav Vadhera’s wife Priya, Joginder Pehalwan’s wife Veena Bagga, former councillor Nitin Mahajan’s wife Shaily Mahajan, and Jatin Walia’s wife Harpreet Kaur are also in the electoral race.
AAP candidates list for Pathankot
AAP’s late-night list includes candidates across multiple wards such as Harpreet Kaur (Ward 1), Nishi (2), Deepak Sharma (3), Sunita Kumari (4), Sushma (5), Sunita Sharma (6), Ashok Abhishek Sharma (Ward 7), Darshana Devi (8), Suraj (9), Ramesh Chand (10), Anuradha (11), Sharda Devi (12), Gaurav Sharma (13), Reema (14), Renu Bala (15), and others up to Ward 50, where Rimpy has been fielded.
The list also includes multiple women candidates, reflecting the impact of reservation changes in the municipal wards.
Sujanpur candidates announced
For Sujanpur, AAP has fielded Sudesh Kumari (Ward 1), Neelam Kumari (3), Puneet Kumar (6), Ritika (7), Anil Kumar (8), Rajesh Kumar (9), Mohit Arya (10), Neetu Manhas (11), Rana Pratap (12), and Surinder Kumar (14).
Out of 15 wards, nominations were filed for 14 candidates on Friday, including BJP cover candidates.
Final day of nominations today
Today is the last day for filing nominations for the civic elections. Candidates can submit their papers between 11 AM and 3 PM at designated offices in Pathankot.
For wards 1 to 15, nominations are being accepted at SDM office Pathankot in the District Administrative Complex (DAC), Malikpur. For wards 16 to 36, submissions will be made at PSPCL office, Dhangu Road. For wards 37 to 50, nominations are being accepted at the District Land Protection Officer’s office near Malikpur.
In Sujanpur, candidates will submit their nomination forms at the court room of the Assistant Commissioner (General), District Administrative Complex, Pathankot during the scheduled dates.
The final hours are expected to witness a sharp rise in political activity as parties race to complete their candidate filings.
