Nawanshahr, August 5: After a long struggle following the Nawanshahr Municipal Council elections held on May 30, 2026, Independent Councilor Smt. Suman Lal (representing Ward No. 16) has finally been crowned the city's President. It is worth noting that the Congress party had emerged as the clear winner across Nawanshahr's 19 wards; it secured 8 seats on its own, while another councilor, Advocate Paramjit Singh Bakshi, won with Congress support. In contrast, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was limited to six seats.
Additionally, the BSP won one seat, the Shiromani Akali Dal won two, and one Independent candidate (from Ward No. 16) was elected, making up the total of 19 councilors. AAP, trailing in the race for the presidency, had caused repeated delays in the election process. Frustrated by this situation, former MLA Mr. Angad Singh, along with his nine councilors, approached the Hon'ble Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Although he faced disappointment recently due to the failure to hold the presidential election in Nawanshahr, he remained undeterred and continued the fight. Finally, acting on the orders of the Hon'ble Punjab and Haryana High Court, the district administration made strict security arrangements, and at 3:00 PM, all councilors and the local MLA, Dr. Nachhatar Pal, arrived to participate in the election.
The two Shiromani Akali Dal councilors—Sardar Param Singh Khalsa and Bibi Mahinderpal Kaur Khalsa—remained firm in their stance that, in accordance with the directive from Sri Akal Takht Sahib, they would support neither Congress nor AAP. With the two opposing camps each holding nine votes (including the local MLA), the administration proposed a draw-of-lots system, to which both factions agreed. The first slip drawn was for the post of President, naming Mrs. Suman Lal, which was accepted; subsequently, the slip for Senior Vice President went to Congress's Raman Kumar Mann, while the slip for Vice President went to journalist Davinder Kumar of the Aam Aadmi Party. Immediately after the election process concluded, Suman Lal joined the Aam Aadmi Party. On this occasion, all the councilors were also administered the oath of office.