On 3 Oct, violence erupted during the Panjab panchayat (village council) poll process in Zira, Ferozepur district, resulting in injuries to former INC MLA Kulbir Singh Zira and two of his supporters (SDW Vol 2 Issue 40, Story 1). INC alleges AAP MLA Naresh Kataria's men prevented their candidates from filing nominations and resorted to firing and stone-pelting; AAP accuses the INC of initiating the violence. 4 Oct, the last day for nominations, was marked with incidents of shots fired at Naushera Pannuan in Tarn Taran, Talwandi Bhai in Ferozepur, and Landheke village in Moga. SAD has asked for an extension of the nomination date, which the state Election Commission has denied. As of now, 3,683 nominations for sarpanch (head of village council) and 11,734 for panch (member of village council) have been rejected. However, not all is bloody and violent. In Gehri Buttar village, Bathinda, residents gathered to unanimously elect a sarpanch. Manjot Singh offered $59K. Bikar Singh countered with $71K. Villagers emphasized the importance of the candidate's merit over monetary offers. It must be recalled that in 2013, the panchayat elections were held under SAD-BJP govt. SAD-BJP swept the polls. INC criticized the poll process. In 2018, panchayat elections were held under INC govt. INC swept the polls. The SAD criticized the polling process. While escalating tensions raise concerns over the fairness and safety of the electoral process in Panjab, the larger question is if the process is as flawed as it was earlier, what is the difference AAP is making to Panjab?
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