Political temperatures in Ropar district have begun to rise ahead of the upcoming Municipal Council elections, with both the Congress and the BJP taking to the streets over allegations of fake voter registrations in urban local bodies.The Congress workers, led by former Speaker of the Punjab Assembly KP Rana, staged a protest outside the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Nangal today. Party workers gathered in large numbers at the tehsil complex, raising slogans against the state government and demanding an immediate probe into the alleged irregularities.Addressing the protesters, Rana accused the ruling AAP of facilitating the inclusion of fake voters in the electoral rolls of municipal councils in Nangal, Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib. He alleged that individuals from rural areas were being deliberately registered as voters in urban constituencies to influence the outcome of the elections.“The integrity of the electoral process is being compromised. People who are not residents of municipal areas are being added to the voter lists. This is a direct attack on democracy,” Rana said while addressing the gathering.He further claimed that the AAP government had failed to deliver on development in municipal councils and was instead taking credit for works executed during the previous Congress regime. Rana called upon party workers to remain vigilant and be prepared for a larger agitation once the final voter lists are released.Meanwhile, the BJP, which launched its week-long ‘pad yatra’ from Nangal yesterday, has also raised similar concerns. The march, titled ‘Pol Khol Yatra’, is being led by state BJP vice president Subhash Sharma and is aimed at highlighting alleged failures and irregularities of the ruling government ahead of the elections.Speaking during the yatra, Sharma accused the Congress and AAP of colluding on the issue of voter manipulation. “The Congress and AAP are hand in glove when it comes to misleading the public. Both parties are responsible for weakening democratic institutions,” he said.Sharma also referred to allegations made during the previous Assembly elections, when AAP leaders had accused Congress functionaries of corruption, particularly in the sale of Punjab Alkalis and Chemicals Ltd (PACL). “The AAP had promised action against corruption, but in the last four years, nothing has been done. This clearly shows their double standards,” he added.The BJP leader said the ongoing pad yatra would cover major towns in the district, including Nangal, Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib, and would focus on exposing what he termed as governance failures and electoral malpractices.With both Opposition parties intensifying their campaigns and levelling serious allegations, the issue of voter registration is likely to become a key flashpoint in the run-up to the municipal council polls in Ropar district.The minister for education, Harjot Singh Bains was not available to comment over the issue despite calls to his mobile phone and WhatsApp messages.Officials have yet to respond formally to the allegations, even as political activity continues to escalate across the region.