Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab of deliberately undermining democratic processes by allegedly rejecting nomination papers of BJP candidates in large numbers ahead of the state's local body elections. Jakhar said the rejections were targeted and without legal basis, and warned that the party would challenge them in court.

Scale of Rejections

According to Jakhar, 21 BJP candidates' nomination papers were rejected in Batala, 10 in Moga, 11 in Barnala, and 3 in Dhuri, with similar incidents reported across several other local body constituencies. He alleged the rejections were concentrated in areas where the BJP held a strong electoral position. 'These nomination papers have been rejected without any concrete grounds,' Jakhar said.

BJP's Legal and Political Response

Jakhar announced that the BJP would move court against the rejections and vowed the party would not allow the ruling dispensation to, in his words, 'loot the elections through unfair means.' He accused government officials of functioning as political operatives rather than neutral administrators, and said the party was compiling a list of officers allegedly involved. 'The Bharatiya Janata Party is collecting details of officers involved in these actions and will strongly oppose this misuse of government machinery,' he said.

AAP's Political Strategy Under Fire

Jakhar invoked a phrase previously attributed to AAP leader Manish Sisodia, accusing the Punjab government of following the 'Saam, daam, dand, bhed' strategy — a Hindi idiom denoting coercion, inducement, punishment, and division — to manipulate electoral outcomes. He also issued a direct caution to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann against disregarding democratic norms. This comes amid a broader pattern of pre-poll disputes in Punjab's local body election cycle, with opposition parties repeatedly alleging administrative bias.

Corruption Allegations Against the Government

Jakhar separately raised concerns about an underground electricity cable project being inaugurated by Chief Minister Mann, demanding a probe into its tendering process. He alleged the tender was approved under a former power minister who is currently in judicial custody on corruption charges. Jakhar also alleged that land-use change cases around Chandigarh were already under scrutiny by investigative agencies, and claimed more corruption-related matters linked to the government would surface in due course.

Centre's Fertiliser Support to Farmers

On a separate note, Jakhar highlighted the Central government's continued fertiliser subsidy programme under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He noted that international prices of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea had surged sharply due to the ongoing Gulf conflict, but said the Centre remained committed to ensuring an uninterrupted supply of fertilisers to farmers across the country.