📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Saad Ali Khan Pakistan
Politics
Water and Chandigarh capital disputes dominate Punjab election campaign
✍️ Amar Ujala · Punjab
🗓 06 Nov 2026, 10:31 AM
👁 14
Ahead of the Punjab assembly polls, parties are intensifying battles over water allocation and the status of Chandigarh as a shared capital.
As Punjab approaches its assembly elections, political parties are intensifying debates over water allocation and the status of Chandigarh, the shared capital with Haryana.
The long‑standing Sutlej‑Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute has resurfaced, with leaders accusing the central government of sidelining Punjab's rights, while opposition parties promise to raise the issue in the legislature.
Simultaneously, the demand to make Chandigarh a full‑fledged capital of Punjab or to transfer its administration has become a rallying point, with parties pledging to protect Punjab's claim.
Analysts say the twin issues could sway voter sentiment, especially in rural constituencies dependent on irrigation and in urban areas concerned about administrative control.
Election officials have scheduled voting for early 2025, and the water‑capital narrative is expected to dominate campaign rallies in the coming weeks.
The long‑standing Sutlej‑Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute has resurfaced, with leaders accusing the central government of sidelining Punjab's rights, while opposition parties promise to raise the issue in the legislature.
Simultaneously, the demand to make Chandigarh a full‑fledged capital of Punjab or to transfer its administration has become a rallying point, with parties pledging to protect Punjab's claim.
Analysts say the twin issues could sway voter sentiment, especially in rural constituencies dependent on irrigation and in urban areas concerned about administrative control.
Election officials have scheduled voting for early 2025, and the water‑capital narrative is expected to dominate campaign rallies in the coming weeks.