Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti elections in Punjab to be held on Dec 14

Chandigarh, Nov 28 (PTI) The Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections will be held in Punjab on December 14 while the counting of votes will be taken up three days after the polls.

These polls, which

many parties will contest on their symbols and will be held through use of ballot papers, come over a year before the assembly polls are due in Punjab.

Fifty per cent of the seats for the upcoming elections, which were long overdue, are reserved for women.

The elections were due to be held in May, but got delayed due to various reasons including the massive floods which Punjab witnessed this year.

With the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force with immediate effect, in the revenue estate of all the Gram Panchayats which fall under the zones of the concerned Zila Parishads and Panchayat Samitis. It will remain in force till the completion of the electoral process.

Meanwhile, the State Election Commission Friday announced the dates for the conduct of general elections to elect the members of Zila Parishads and Panchayat Samitis in the State.

State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhuri said that as per the election schedule, the period for filing of nominations by the candidates for these elections will start from December 1 between 11 am to 3 pm in the offices of the concerned Returning Officers designated for this purpose.

The last date for filing of nominations will be December 4 while scrutiny of papers will take place on December 5. The last date of withdrawal of nominations is December 6.

All nomination forms are to be accompanied by the prescribed affidavit, and in case the candidate is sponsored by a political party, by the authorisation letter of the concerned political party, he said.

He said that the poll will be held on December 14 from 8 am to 4 pm through the use of ballot papers. The polled votes will be counted on December 17 at the counting centres established for this purpose.

He said that these elections are being conducted to elect members of 357 zones of 23 Zila Parishads, and 2863 zones of 154 Panchayat Samitis (one member per zone).

The total number of registered voters is 1,36,04,650 including 71,64,972 males.

For these elections 19,181 booths covering all rural areas of the districts, have been established in the districts.

The expenditure limit notified by the Commission for a candidate contesting for the post of Zila Parishad is Rs 2,55,000 whereas for Panchayat Samiti member expenditure limit has been fixed at Rs 1,10,000.

Chaudhari stated that about 96,000 personnel will be deputed on election duty.

An IAS officer/ senior PCS Officers would be appointed in each district as Observers so as to ensure proper monitoring.

The Commission has made all the arrangements to conduct the elections in a fair, free and peaceful manner, he said. PTI SUN NB NB