The Punjab government’s local body department has approved new ward demarcations for next year’s Municipal Corporation House elections. For some time, speculation had been rife about new ward demarcations for the 50 wards of the Moga Municipal Corporation. However, now that formal proceedings have begun, it has become clear that some areas may be shifted under the new ward demarcations.
The Moga Municipal Corporation House elections were held in 2021 during the Congress government, and new ward demarcations were also implemented. The 50-ward Municipal Corporation House has 25 women councillors. Sources indicate that councillors belonging to the ruling party are lobbying for new ward demarcations. It has been learned that under the previous demarcation, some wards had a total vote share of only 800, while others had a vote share of 2,800 to 3,000. Now, under the new demarcation, a strategy is being developed to create wards with a vote share of approximately 2,000.
It has been learned that those aspiring to contest elections on behalf of the ruling party are enthusiastic about the ward demarcation, as they believe the ward demarcation will be tailored to their needs, while councillors from opposition parties are disappointed. This issue could lead to conflict between opposition and ruling party leaders. It is worth noting that each ruling party has prioritized its own ward demarcation strategy before the elections.
In 2008, during the Akali Dal government, elections were held after delimitation of 31 wards, and then councillors resigned to form the Municipal Corporation. Following this, elections were held for the first time in 50 wards before the 2015 elections, and Akali Dal’s Akshit Jain became the first mayor of Moga. Before the 2021 elections, the Congress party also implemented new ward delimitation, and now the AAP government has prioritized new ward delimitation. It is worth noting that the ruling party believes that the ward delimitation should be completed by the end of this year and elections should be held in January-February 2026.
Government reposes confidence in Harmanjit Didarewala, a master of political manipulation.
Now that new ward delimitation is being implemented for next year’s municipal elections, the ruling party has reposed its faith in former district president, former chairman of the District Planning Board, and senior AAP leader Harmanjit Singh Didarewala, appointing him as a member of the delimitation committee. Councillor Davinder Tiwari will also be a member. Didarewala played a major role in ensuring AAP’s first mayoral election in Punjab on August 21, 2023, in Moga. He will always be remembered as a successful district president. Now, it has come to light that the party has again appointed him as a member of the special committee for ward demarcation to ensure AAP’s victory.
