The zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Punjab will be held on December 14 and the results will be declared after the counting of votes on December 17, said state election commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary on Friday.
Addressing a press conference, Chaudhary said the nomination process will run from December 1 to December 4, followed by scrutiny on December 5. Candidates will have time until December 6 to withdraw their nominations. 50% of the seats have been reserved for women, aiming to strengthen their participation in grassroots governance.
With the announcement of the election schedule, the model code of conduct has come into immediate effect in all gram panchayats falling under the relevant zila parishad and panchayat samiti zones.
A total of 357 zila parishad zones and 2,863 panchayat samiti zones will go to the polls. Voting will take place at 19,181 polling booths across rural areas of the state. Polls will be held on Sunday, December 14, from 8am to 4 pm, using ballot papers, said Chaudhary.
The elections will elect members of 23 zila parishads (357 zones) and 154 panchayat samitis (2,863 zones), with one member to be elected per zone, he said, adding Punjab has 1,36,04,650 registered voters, comprising 71,64,972 men, 64,39,497 women, and 181 other voters.
{{/usCountry}}The elections will elect members of 23 zila parishads (357 zones) and 154 panchayat samitis (2,863 zones), with one member to be elected per zone, he said, adding Punjab has 1,36,04,650 registered voters, comprising 71,64,972 men, 64,39,497 women, and 181 other voters.
{{/usCountry}}The state election commission has fixed an expenditure limit of ₹2.55 lakh for zila parishad candidates and ₹1.1 lakh for panchayat samiti candidates.
Around 96,000 personnel will be deployed for election duty, and IAS and PCS officers will serve as observers in each district to ensure smooth monitoring.
Chaudhary said the commission has made all necessary arrangements to conduct the polls in a free, fair and peaceful manner.