Punjab to hold re-elections in 52 civic wards on November 28; nominations begin today

The Punjab State Election Commission has announced November 28 as the date for fresh elections to 52 wards across three civic bodies in the state, following a Supreme Court directive over alleged irregularities in the previous municipal polls.

The re-elections will cover 30 wards of the Patiala Municipal Corporation, 15 wards of the Bagha Purana Municipal Council and seven wards of the Dharamkot Municipal Council in Moga district.

Polling will be held from 8 am to 4 pm using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). A total of 1,76,429 registered voters are eligible to cast their votes, including 91,415 men, 84,999 women and 15 voters belonging to other categories.

Election schedule and arrangements

The nomination process will begin on November 13, with candidates allowed to submit their papers between 11 am and 3 pm. Nominations will not be accepted on November 14, 15 and 16 owing to holidays. The process will resume on November 17 and continue until November 19, which is the last date for filing nominations.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on November 20, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until 3 pm on November 21. The State Election Commission will issue separate instructions regarding the counting of votes.

A total of 150 polling booths have been established for the elections. These include 123 booths across the 30 wards of Patiala, 20 in the 15 wards of Bagha Purana and seven in the seven wards of Dharamkot.

Candidates will have to submit the prescribed affidavit along with their nomination papers. Those contesting on behalf of political parties will also be required to furnish an authorisation letter issued by their respective parties. Their Know Your Candidate (KYC) details will be uploaded on the websites of the concerned districts.

The expenditure limit has been fixed at Rs 4 lakh for candidates contesting Municipal Corporation elections and Rs 2.30 lakh for those contesting elections to Class-II Municipal Councils.

Supreme Court ordered fresh elections over irregularities

The fresh elections follow the Supreme Court's intervention after irregularities were reported during the civic body polls held in May.

Last month, the apex court cancelled the elections in the 52 affected wards and directed the authorities to conduct fresh polls within six weeks. The affected wards comprised 30 in Patiala, 15 in Bagha Purana and seven in Dharamkot.

The number of wards in Patiala was increased from 28 to 30 after the Supreme Court modified its earlier order on October 16, bringing Ward Nos. 15 and 58 within the scope of the re-election process.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has constituted a Monitoring Committee to oversee the re-election exercise. The State Election Commission said necessary logistical arrangements had been made to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.

With the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect across the jurisdictions of all three civic bodies and will remain in force until the completion of the election process.