SC repoll order in 50 wards corners Punjab AAP govt, BJP says
Synopsis
The Supreme Court's repoll order covering 50 wards in Patiala and Moga — backed by a fact-finding committee report citing nomination-stage coercion — has handed the BJP its sharpest attack line yet against Punjab's AAP government, right as a CBI probe adds another layer of political pressure.
Key Takeaways
The Supreme Court ordered fresh elections in 50 wards across Patiala and Moga districts within six weeks .
A court-appointed fact-finding committee found irregularities in 28 Patiala wards , all 15 Baghapurana wards , and 7 Dharamkot wards , including threats and destruction of nomination papers.
Former Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma alleged the AAP government misused state power to suppress opposition candidates.
The court constituted a monitoring panel headed by a retired High Court judge and mandated videography of the entire election process.
State BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said AAP's 'federal structure' claims were a bid to evade accountability over the CBI investigation.
The Supreme Court's decision to cancel results and order fresh elections in 50 Municipal Corporation and Municipal Council wards across Patiala and Moga districts in Punjab has triggered a sharp political offensive by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which called the verdict a damning indictment of the state's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The order, to be implemented within six weeks, follows a Supreme Court-appointed fact-finding committee's report citing widespread irregularities during the local body election process.
What the Fact-Finding Committee Found
The committee's report documented serious violations during the nomination stage, including the alleged prevention of candidates from filing their nominations, as well as the snatching, tearing, and destruction of nomination papers. Threats to candidates were also recorded.
Irregularities were identified in 28 wards of Patiala, all 15 wards of Baghapurana, and seven wards of Dharamkot in Moga district. Taken together, the findings painted a picture of systematic suppression, according to the committee's report.
BJP's Charge Against the AAP Government
Former Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma said on Thursday, 8 October that the Supreme Court's directive had exposed the AAP government's alleged high-handedness and raised serious questions about the state administration's respect for democratic norms. He argued that free and fair elections demand a level playing field — not merely the act of voting — and alleged that the ruling party misused state power to silence opposition candidates.
Sharma also noted that the court's decision to constitute a monitoring committee headed by a retired High Court judge, along with mandatory videography of every stage from nomination to polling, was a clear signal that the electoral process could not be left to the state government's supervision alone.
BJP on CBI Investigation and Federal Structure Row
State BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon broadened the attack, linking the repoll order to a separate controversy over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing alleged corruption within the AAP government. He alleged that AAP leaders had begun claiming the CBI inquiry amounted to interference in Punjab's federal structure only after the investigation commenced.
Dhillon said the government's argument before the Supreme Court — that fabricated cases were being raised due to the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections — was proof that AAP was seeking political cover rather than facing accountability. He described the party's position as 'hollow arguments' repeated first in the media and then before the court.
What Happens Next
With the Supreme Court ordering the repoll within six weeks, election authorities in Punjab will be required to conduct fresh nominations and polling under judicial oversight, including videography of the entire process. The monitoring committee headed by a retired High Court judge will oversee compliance.
The repoll is set to become a significant litmus test for the AAP government ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, with both the BJP and the court's institutional scrutiny bearing down simultaneously.
Point of View
Constitute a monitoring panel under a retired judge, and mandate end-to-end videography speaks to a failure of ordinary administrative safeguards. For AAP, which built its brand on clean governance, the optics of nomination papers being snatched and candidates being threatened are politically corrosive. The BJP's simultaneous CBI offensive means the party is fighting on two fronts at once, and both are now under judicial or quasi-judicial scrutiny — a combination that rarely ends quietly before an Assembly election.
NationPress
8 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Supreme Court order a repoll in 50 Punjab wards?
The Supreme Court ordered fresh elections in 50 Municipal Corporation and Municipal Council wards in Patiala and Moga districts after a court-appointed fact-finding committee found serious irregularities during the nomination stage, including threats to candidates and destruction of nomination papers. The repoll is to be conducted within six weeks under judicial oversight.
Which areas are affected by the Supreme Court's repoll order?
The order covers 28 wards in Patiala, all 15 wards of Baghapurana, and 7 wards of Dharamkot in Moga district — totalling 50 wards across two Punjab districts.
What safeguards has the Supreme Court put in place for the fresh elections?
The court constituted a monitoring committee headed by a retired High Court judge and mandated videography of the entire electoral process, from nomination filing to polling day, to prevent a repeat of the alleged irregularities.
What is the BJP's main allegation against the AAP government?
The BJP alleges that the AAP government misused state power to suppress opposition candidates during the local body elections, citing the fact-finding committee's findings as evidence of high-handedness. Former party president Ashwani Sharma said the Supreme Court verdict exposed the government's conduct.
How does the CBI investigation connect to this controversy?
State BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon alleged that AAP leaders began invoking Punjab's federal structure only after the CBI started probing alleged corruption within the state government. He claimed the government's argument before the Supreme Court — that cases were fabricated ahead of Assembly elections — was an attempt to seek political cover rather than face accountability.
