Year Ender: Political developments in Punjab in 2016

New Delhi: In Punjab, Legislative Assembly elections are expected to be held in 2017, before the completion of the current tenure of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. The current ruling coalition is Shiromani Akali Dal - Bharatiya Janata Party alliance led by Parkash Singh Badal. However, from the launch of a new political party to Aam Aadmi Party entering the scene, this Sikh community dominated state has witnessed a lot of political activity in 2016. Here's a list of some major political developments in the state in the year 2016: Changes in the electoral process: The Election Commission (EC) of India, in April 2016, revealed about 8 lakh bogus voters of the state being cancelled in the past one year. But over seven lakh youngsters who have attained the age of 18 this year were, reportedly, yet to get registered. Introduction of VVPAT: One constituency in every district will be chosen for the trial run of Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines. They will be used along with EVMs. EC also decided to set up new polling stations if the number of voters was more than 1200 in rural areas. In urban areas, the number is 1400. Congress' plan: The Congress will take part in the state elections under the leadership of Amarinder Singh. The party has also hired poll strategist Prashant Kishor for campaigning. Aawaaz-e-Punjab: This is a new political party formed by ex-BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and others. Reportedly, Sidhu is likely to contest from Amirtsar East, said his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu. His political innings may not be as smooth as expected. Bahujan Samaj Party: On 25 September 2016, for 2017 Punjab assembly elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced a list of nine candidates. BSP president Rashpal Raju had announced a mega-rally in Phagwara on 9th October Parinirvana divas of BSP founder Kanshi Ram. On the occasion, BSP attacked Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress as anti-Sikh parties. AAP's move: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to field its Delhi legislator Jarnail Singh, an anti-Sikh riot activist, against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the upcoming state Assembly polls. The announcement is likely to be made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a couple of days at a rally at Lambi, a seat represented by Badal. In December, AAP also played Panthic card before poll code. Chandigarh Municipal Corporation election results: BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance swept polls, BJP-20, SAD-1. Amit Shah congratulated the BJP cadre for the win in Chandigarh. He claimed that decision to demonetise the currency by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been supported by people in form of their mandate. Not a mandate on notes ban said Manish Tewari: "If someone thinks people support demonetisation, he is living in fool's paradise", said Manish Tewari in an exclusive interview to ABP Live. He also hoped that the chances of Congress winning the polls are bright. He also expressed his willingness to contest state election. [ALSO READ] EXCLUSIVE: If someone thinks people support demonetisation, he is living in fool's paradise, says Manish Tewari