E-Paper
Panchkula mayor’s post declared ‘unreserved’
This was decided following a draw of lots, conducted at the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) office, Sector 4, to choose the reserved and open seats.
The Panchkula mayor’s post has been officially declared an “unreserved seat”, opening the field for a wide array of contenders.
This was decided following a draw of lots, conducted at the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) office, Sector 4, to choose the reserved and open seats.
The mayoral post in the Ambala MC has been reserved for a Backward Classes-Block B (BC-B) woman candidate while the Sonepat mayoral post has also been left open for all candidates.
With the previous mayor and councillors completing their terms earlier this month, preparations will kick off for the next MC elections. Sources said the State Election Commissioner will convene meetings to finalise voter lists and logistical arrangements, with a formal notification for elections likely to be issued soon. The draw had been postponed twice in December 2025 before being completed on Thursday.
The ward-level reservation structure for Panchkula was decided through a prior draw, following a delimitation exercise completed late last year. Under the new 20-ward configuration, seven wards have been reserved for women: Ward 1, 2, 11, and 15 for general category women, Ward 19 for BC-A women, Ward 18 for BC-B women, and Ward 16 for SC women. Wards 7 and 17 have been reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.
Delimitation data reveals a balanced voter distribution across the city, with most wards containing between 8,699 and 11,934 voters. Ward 17 has the largest number of voters at 12,210.
