Edge for AAP in Ropar amid likely division in Opposition vote bank

Punjab’s ruling AAP seems to have an edge in Ropar district during the upcoming zila parishad and block samiti polls, largely due to a likely division in the Opposition’s vote bank with the BJP and the SAD contesting separately this time, according to analysts.

While the state’s main Opposition — the Congress — has fielded its nominees on all seats in Anandpur Sahib and Chamkaur Sahib Assembly constituencies, it failed to give any candidate in two of the three zila parishad zones in the Ropar segment.

Papers of the Congress candidate in the third Ropar zone were rejected during scrutiny. There are a total of 10 zila parishad zones — four in Anandpur Sahib and three each in Ropar and Chamkaur Sahib.

In Ropar, the Congress failed to field candidates in Kamla Mor and Mianpur zones. Barinder Singh Dhillon admitted that it was a “fault of his party workers who could not reach the office of the Ropar ADC in time to file nomination papers”. The papers of the in Nurpur Bedi Congress candidate were rejected.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders Rana KP Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi are involved in hectic campaigning for zila parishad poll in Anandpur Sahib and Chamkaur Sahib Assembly segments.

The BJP entered fray in eight zila parishad zones of the district. It is for the first time that the BJP is contesting on its own after snapping of ties with the SAD four years ago. According to BJP sources, the elections served as a platform to test the party’s popularity ahead of the 2027 Assembly poll, for which it had already declared its intentions to go solo amid demands by its several leaders to rethink over an alliance with its estranged partner.

Meanwhile, none of the senior BJP leaders has so far joined the election campaign. The party is relying on its local leadership. The SAD is also contesting eight of 10 zila parishad zones in Ropar district. For the zila parishad poll, 36 candidates are in the fray — 10 of AAP, eight each of the BJP and SAD, and two of the BSP. In Panchayat Samiti polls there are 93 zones. AAP is contesting from all 93 zones, Congress in 87, BJP 45, SAD 48, BSP five and independents from four.