Chandigarh: With the reservation status of all municipal wards now clear after Friday’s draw of lots, the focus has shifted from ward allotment to candidate selection, with the city’s major political parties preparing to rely on independent surveys to identify their strongest contenders for the MC polls.Congress, BJP and AAP sources said professional agencies are likely to be tasked with assessing aspirants across wards and submitting reports on their public standing, organisational strength and electoral prospects. The exercise comes amid a rush for tickets, with multiple hopefuls emerging in most wards after the reservation matrix was announced.Party leaders said the surveys would help them gauge the actual ground support enjoyed by aspirants rather than depend solely on recommendations from local leaders. The agencies are expected to conduct door-to-door interactions and discreet feedback exercises to evaluate candidates’ acceptability among voters.A senior Congress functionary said nearly every ward has more than one claimant for a ticket, making an objective assessment necessary. Since winnability remains the overriding consideration, the party wants detailed feedback on each aspirant’s standing before names are shortlisted for the leadership’s approval.BJP leaders echoed a similar view, saying independent surveys would help identify the most suitable candidate for each ward. Party sources maintained that external assessments become important when multiple contenders stake claim to a seat and local-level lobbying intensifies ahead of ticket distribution.AAP, which is gearing up for its second MC election in the city, is also expected to attach significant weight to survey findings while finalising nominees. Party leaders said the reports would provide a realistic picture of an aspirant’s public image and electoral potential, alongside other factors relevant to candidate selection.For AAP, the process carries an additional dimension. Having lost eight councillors to rival parties during the current MC term, the party is also expected to scrutinise the commitment and credibility of prospective candidates while weighing their chances at the polls.The surveys are expected to mark the first major step in the ticket-distribution process, with parties keen to field candidates who can convert local popularity into electoral success once the poll schedule is announced.
