Punjab zila parishad, block samiti polls: Managing to find 1,800 candidates, BJP hopes for strong show

Unlike previous zila parishad and block samiti elections, the BJP said it has secured a significant number of candidates willing to contest under its party symbol this time.

Historically, the BJP struggled in rural elections in Punjab. In 2018, the party did not field any candidate under its own symbol, and in 2013, when the Akali-BJP alliance was intact, the BJP fought only on 356 seats out of the total, with over 90 per cent of these going to the Akali Dal.

The party sees these elections as an opportunity to make inroads into rural Punjab, though it faces a stiff challenge in improving its electoral performance.

The recent Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll, largely a rural constituency, was a setback as the BJP candidate lost security deposit, indicating difficulties on the ground.

However, BJP’s state media cell head Vineet Joshi expressed optimism about the forthcoming elections, terming these “a step ahead”.

“We have many willing candidates, reflecting the growing acceptance of the party,” he claimed, adding that over 1,800 filed papers as BJP candidates.

Joshi noted, “For the first time, the party is contesting on its own symbol. We have filed 279 nomination papers for the 357 zila parishad seats and 1,556 for the 2,863 panchayat samiti seats.”

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar too stressed the party’s growing base across urban and rural areas. “We are committed to protecting the interests of Punjab. Every poll contributes to our progress,” he added.

RSS on ground

BJP sources added that the party was also building on efforts made by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which has been working in rural areas for months now. The RSS acts as an ideological and cultural organisation providing grassroots support to the BJP. Meanwhile, party working president Ashwani Sharma said BJP advocate NK Verma lodged a complaint with the State Election Commissioner of Punjab, alleging serious violations in the scrutiny of nomination papers for the zila parishad and block samiti elections.

‘Closed-door scrutiny’

The complaint states that the scrutiny conducted on Friday was held behind closed doors without allowing candidates or their authorized representatives to be present, violating mandatory electoral norms.

It further alleged that a large number of BJP candidates’ nomination papers were rejected across multiple districts without valid or specific reasons, raising concerns about transparency and fairness.

The BJP accused returning officers of acting arbitrarily and mechanically, ignoring principles of natural justice and the legal requirement to allow candidates to rectify curable defects before rejection.