The Punjab State Election Commission has declared the schedule for the upcoming municipal elections to be conducted in December 2024, in response to the directives issued by the Local Government Department. Voting will take place for all the Five Municipal Corporations, 44 Councils, and Nagar Panchayats across the state on December 21, 2024.

Important Dates of Election and Other Details

Nomination Filing: December 9 – ends on December 12 scrutiny on December 13; candidates may withdraw nominations till December 14.

Polling: Dec 21, from 7 am to 4 pm, votes to be counted immediately after conclusion.

Security and polling arrangements:

There are a total of 381 wards in the Municipal Corporations and 598 wards in the Municipal Councils/Nagar Panchayats, which will have voting.
There are 1,609 polling stations with 3,809 booths, of which 344 are hypersensitive and 665 are sensitive.
Comprehensive security plans have been placed, and 21,500 personnel from the Police Department and Home Guards will be used. Additional forces and mobile patrolling will be present in hypersensitive areas.

Expenditure Limits and Logistics

Expenditure ceiling for contestants: from ₹4,00,000 in Municipal Corporations to ₹1,40,000 in Nagar Panchayats.

EVMs will be used; adequate stock has been made available.

Administrative Supervision

Approximately 23,000 election staff, including Returning Officers and Presiding Officers, will oversee the process. Twenty-five IAS/PCS officers will serve as General Observers for ensuring fair conduct.

Model Code of Conduct is already in force.
With the announcement of elections, the Model Code of Conduct is immediately in place and will continue to remain in force until the process of elections is over. All guidelines and voter information, including nomination forms and affidavits, are available on the Commission’s website.

The Punjab State Election Commission has claimed that all necessary steps have been taken to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections.