The North News
Chandigarh, November 29
The State Election Commission has announced the schedule for elections to Punjab’s Zila Parishads and Panchayat Samitis, with polling set to take place on December 14. State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhuri said nominations will open on December 1 and close on December 4, with scrutiny on 5 December and withdrawals allowed until the afternoon of 6 December. Candidates must submit the prescribed affidavit and, in the case of party-backed nominees, an authorisation letter from their political party.
Polling will be held on December 14 between 8am and 4pm using ballot papers. Counting will take place on 17 December at designated centres across the state. The elections will cover 357 zones across 23 Zila Parishads and 2,863 zones of 154 Panchayat Samitis, with one member to be elected from each zone. Punjab has more than 1.36 crore registered voters for the rural polls, including over 71.6 lakh men and 64.3 lakh women. A total of 19,181 polling booths have been set up in rural areas.
Chaudhuri said the expenditure limit for Zila Parishad candidates has been fixed at ₹2.55 lakh, while candidates for Panchayat Samiti seats can spend up to ₹1.10 lakh. Around 96,000 personnel will be deployed on election duty, with IAS and senior PCS officers appointed as observers in every district.
The Commission said all arrangements had been made to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. With the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force in the revenue estates of all Gram Panchayats that fall within the election zones. The code will remain in place until the completion of the electoral process.
