Punjab State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday announced the rejection of a staggering 15,417 nominations during the scrutiny process. This includes 3,683 nominations for sarpanches (village heads) and 11,734 nominations for panches (village council members), as per data released by the SEC official spokesperson.   The rejection of these nominations was carried out by Returning Officers across various districts in Punjab. A detailed district-wise breakdown revealed the extent of the rejections, highlighting the rigorous scrutiny faced by the candidates.   In Amritsar, 247 nominations for sarpanches and 1,387 for panches were rejected. Bathinda saw 68 sarpanch nominations and 248 panch nominations discarded. Barnala experienced 20 sarpanches and 30 panches being rejected, while Fatehgarh Sahib recorded 106 sarpanches and 242 panches facing the same fate.   Faridkot had 70 sarpanch nominations and 209 panches rejected, whereas Fazilka witnessed 52 sarpanches and 138 panches unable to meet the requirements. Gurdaspur reported the highest numbers, with 1,208 sarpanches and 3,533 panches having their nominations rejected.   Other districts also experienced significant rejections: Hoshiarpur (18 sarpanches and 87 panches), Jalandhar (68 sarpanches and 214 panches), Kapurthala (45 sarpanches and 190 panches), and Ludhiana (134 sarpanches and 537 panches). Mansa had 15 sarpanch nominations and 45 panches rejected, while Malerkotla saw 4 sarpanches and 23 panches facing rejection.   Additionally, Moga reported 115 sarpanch nominations and 376 panches rejected, SAS Nagar had 122 sarpanches and 389 panches rejected, and Sri Muktsar Sahib saw 98 sarpanches and 303 panches disqualified. SBS Nagar recorded 22 sarpanches and 59 panches rejected, while Patiala faced the rejection of 384 sarpanch nominations and 713 panch nominations.   In Pathankot, 19 sarpanch nominations and 65 panches were rejected, while Ropar saw 27 sarpanches and 106 panches facing disqualification. Finally, Sangrur had 48 sarpanches and 109 panches rejected, and Tarn Taran recorded 362 sarpanches and 1,485 panches unable to proceed with their nominations.   The substantial number of rejected nominations raises questions about the electoral process in Punjab as candidates navigate the scrutiny for the pivotal local elections.

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