New Delhi, 08 October (H.S.): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has levelled serious allegations against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the civic elections held in Punjab, accusing it of undermining the democratic process in the state. The party said that India is currently witnessing a contest between two competing ideologies—one that respects the Constitution and constitutional institutions, and another that, according to the BJP, seeks to create an atmosphere of disorder through the actions of opposition parties.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Thursday targeted the opposition, saying that a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had taken the significant decision to annul the municipal elections held in 50 wards of Punjab. He said the civic body elections, conducted in May 2026, fell under the responsibility of the state government. Following complaints regarding the electoral process, the Supreme Court had constituted a single-member fact-finding commission to examine the matter. A retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was appointed for the purpose.

The BJP leader said the facts presented before the Supreme Court by the commission in its report raised serious concerns for the functioning of the democratic system. With regard to the Patiala Municipal Corporation, the commission reportedly found that the electoral process had been affected in 13 wards because opposition candidates were allegedly prevented from filing their nomination papers.

It was alleged that nomination papers belonging to candidates from opposition parties and independents were snatched, torn up or destroyed. The BJP said the issue was not merely about winning or losing an election, but represented an alleged attempt to deprive candidates of their fundamental opportunity to contest elections.

He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party had entered politics with the slogan of ‘Swaraj’ but, after coming to power in Punjab, had worked to weaken the democratic process. The party said the facts brought before the Supreme Court raise a fundamental question: does preventing opposition candidates from even filing their nominations constitute the protection of democracy, or does it amount to a violation of democratic rights?

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar