Punjab: For the civic polls, the Punjab Congress has directed its candidates to prepare a report of the AAP government in their respective wards and prepare a vision document for the voters. Chairing a meeting of party leaders of five municipal corporations of Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Phagwara and Ludhiana, the party leaders said that as the AAP government is about to complete its three-year term, anti-incumbency over lack of basic amenities like poor solid and waste management could prove to be damaging for the ruling party. PPCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Waring, who is holding a closed-door meeting with screening committee members of the respective civic bodies, said that the party candidates are being harassed. The deputy commissioner and presiding officer are delaying the issuance of documents to our candidates. Waring said that NOCs are being sought from the candidates.
“We have again lodged a formal complaint on all issues before the State Election Commission today. Under pressure from the AAP government, the administration is not giving our candidates a chance to file nominations,” the PPCC chief said. The legal cell of the party’s state unit has raised the issue of delay in releasing voter list, unavailability of presiding officers, unnecessary demand of NOC from candidates despite the guidelines of the State Election Commission and non-availability of nomination documents with the State Election Commission through separate complaints. Meanwhile, in a press conference, All India Congress Committee Secretary and Punjab in-charge Alok Sharma claimed that Congress will win the municipal elections in Punjab by a huge margin and will win all five municipal corporations and 42 municipal committees. He said that AAP has mastered the art of winning elections by any means. He said that AAP has failed to fulfill the big promises made before coming to power.