With campaigning intensifying for the upcoming municipal elections in Mohali district, the political atmosphere has turned increasingly charged. Several influential leaders and their family members have entered the electoral fray, triggering speculation over the future race for the mayor’s post in the Mohali Municipal Corporation.Political circles are abuzz with discussions that the civic elections are no longer limited to winning wards alone, but are also being viewed as a direct battle for control over the mayor’s chair after the results.Polling for all 50 wards of the Mohali Municipal Corporation will be held on May 26, while counting of votes will take place on May 29. The elections will be conducted through ballot papers instead of EVMs.Wards turn into high-profile contestsAmong the key Congress candidates, Punjab Pradesh Mahila Congress working president Baljit Kaur is contesting from Ward No 37.Former Punjab minister Balbir Singh Sidhu’s family has also entered the contest, with Kanwarbir Singh Ruby Sidhu contesting from Ward No 10. Ruby Sidhu is also the nephew of former mayor Amarjit Singh ‘Jitti’ Sidhu, making the ward one of the most politically significant constituencies in the city.Meanwhile, Gaurav Jain, son of former senior deputy mayor, the late Rishav Jain, is contesting from Ward No 20 on a Congress ticket.Also Read | Punjab urban local body polls announced: 8 municipal corporations and 102 councils to vote on May 26Ward No 6 is expected to witness one of the fiercest battles, where Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Dr Sunny Singh Ahluwalia is locked in a direct contest with former deputy mayor Manjit Singh Sethi.Story continues below this adAnother closely watched seat is Ward No 42, from where Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh’s son Sarabjit Singh Samana has been fielded. The ward had witnessed a controversy after Congress leader Balbir Singh Sidhu alleged irregularities in voter numbers, claiming it had barely around 660 voters, making it the smallest ward in the city.Ward No 39 in Sohana village has also emerged as a prestige contest, with rival political camps treating the seat as strategically important.Mayor’s post triggers political manoeuvringPolitical strategising over the mayor’s post has already begun behind closed doors. According to political observers, senior Congress leaders and sitting MLAs are expected to push aggressively to ensure their loyalists and family members secure enough support to stake claim to the mayor’s chair after the elections.Also Read | In Mohali civic polls, redrawing of boundaries may alter electoral equations; Congress accuses AAP of biasAAP names 109 candidates across four civic bodiesMeanwhile, AAP has released a list of 109 candidates for the municipal elections in Mohali Municipal Corporation and the municipal councils of Dera Bassi, Zirakpur and Lalru, a day before the final date for filing nominations. The announcement has intensified political activity across the district and is expected to make the contests more competitive.Story continues below this adOut of 50 wards in the Mohali Municipal Corporation, AAP has so far declared candidates for 42 wards. The list includes several former councillors, along with Sarabjit Singh Samana, son of MLA Kulwant Singh.With high-profile candidates, family legacies and intense lobbying over the Mayor’s post, the Mohali civic elections are shaping up to be one of the most closely watched local body contests in recent years.The party has also announced candidates for 19 wards in Dera Bassi, 31 in Zirakpur, and 17 wards in Lalru. However, the candidate lists for Kurali and Naya Gaon are yet to be announced.AAP candidates for Mohali MCThe AAP candidates announced for the Mohali Municipal Corporation include Simran Kaur (Ward 1), Rajinder Prasad Sharma (Ward 2), Gurmeet Kaur (Ward 3), Harbinder Singh (Ward 4), Arvinder Kaur (Ward 5), Dr Sunny Singh Ahluwalia (Ward 6), and Kulvinderjit Kaur (Ward 7).Story continues below this adAlso in the fray are Gurmukh Singh Sohal (Ward 8), Anu Babbar (Ward 9), Satyajeet Kundra (Ward 10), and Rajinderpal Singh ‘Gopi Khaira’ (Ward 12), Jasbir Kaur (Ward 13), Vikram Sandhu (Ward 14), Kulvinder Kaur (Ward 15), and Amarjit Singh (Ward 16).The list also includes Neetu (Ward 17), Pankajjit Singh (Ward 18), Tarunjit Singh (Ward 20), Harjit Singh (Ward 22), Rajni Goyal (Ward 23), Naseeb Singh Sandhu (Ward 24), Baljinder Kaur (Ward 25), Satwinder Singh Mithu (Ward 26), and Jasbir Kaur Atli (Ward 27).Other names include Ravinder Singh (Ward 28), Ramanpreet Kaur (Ward 29), Gurpreet Singh Bains (Ward 30), Aruna Sharma (Ward 31), Gurjeet Singh (Ward 32), Gurpreet Kaur (Ward 33), Sukhdev Singh Patwari (Ward 34), Karamjit Kaur (Ward 35), Harpal Singh Channa (Ward 36), and Bachan Singh Boparai (Ward 38).Sharanjit Kaur (Ward 39), Kritika Sharma (Ward 41), Sarabjit Singh Samana (Ward 42), Ramandeep Kaur (Ward 43), Phoolraj Singh (Ward 44), Sarabjit Singh Rocky Valmiki (Ward 46), Parminder Kaur (Ward 47), and Harpal Singh Brar (Ward 50) are the other candidates in the fray.