The municipal corporation elections in Punjab have been officially initiated. The Punjab government has communicated with the Election Commission to organize these elections, specifically in the context of the five municipal corporations. Following the directives issued by Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit in August, the Punjab government swiftly took action in preparation for these elections, expediting the process of ward delimitation.
Additionally, the Local Bodies Department has corresponded with the Election Commission. Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit had previously urged the Punjab government to schedule these elections prior to November 15, and the Local Bodies Department has now also requested the Election Commission to conduct them before the aforementioned date. As per the communication released by the Local Bodies Department, the elections will take place in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Fazilka before November 15, leaving only a month for the preparations.
Notably, elections have been pending in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Patiala since January 2023, while Fazilka has not yet conducted elections even after its designation as a municipal corporation. The delay in the ward delimitation process has been the primary reason for the continuous postponement of these elections.
Furthermore, Governor Punjab has also granted approval for elections in 39 municipal councils, separate from the municipal corporation elections. Nevertheless, no notifications or formal communications have been issued regarding these elections as of yet.
There remains some ambiguity concerning whether these municipal corporation elections will be conducted based on the old ward delimitation or the new one. The ward delimitation process is still underway, with the new ward delineation in the final stages of development. Should the Local Bodies Department finalize the new delineation in the coming days, the elections will be based on the new ward delineation. Otherwise, they will be conducted following the old ward delineation.
