Chandigarh, Jan. 7 -- Ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, the state is preparing for a crucial round of civic polls in February, with elections scheduled for nine municipal corporations and 116 nagar councils.

The elections are widely being viewed as a "political semifinal", a litmus test for parties on their urban base ahead of the high-stakes 2027 state assembly elections.

Municipal corporation elections will be held in Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala, Abohar, Pathankot and the newly upgraded municipal corporation of Barnala. These urban centres are considered politically significant, with issues such as infrastructure, sanitation, employment, law and order and civic governance expected to dominate the ...