Punjab: 117 civic bodies go to polls on Feb 14

Eight municipal corporations, and 109 councils and nagar panchayats will elect representatives

: Punjab election commissioner Jagpal Singh Sandhu has announced that the civic body polls in the state will take place on February 14. Eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats will elect representatives.

CHANDIGARH : Punjab election commissioner Jagpal Singh Sandhu has announced that the civic body polls in the state will take place on February 14. Eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats will elect representatives. With the announcement, the model code of conduct has come into effect and will stay till results on February 17. The elections were scheduled last year, but were postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic. Honouring its pre-poll promise, the Congress government under Capt Amarinder Singh has implemented 50% reservation for women.

There will be 145 returning officers and 145 assistant returning officers for conduct of the elections and 30 IAS and PCS officers would be appointed election observers. Six IPS officers will be appointed as police observers to ensure fair polls.

Sandhu added, “Four-hundred members would be elected for eight municipal corporations of Abohar, Bathinda, Batala, Kapurthala, Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Moga and a by-election in ward no 37 (backward classes) of Amritsar MC would also be held.”

The state election commission has fixed expenditure limit for a candidate of municipal corporation at ₹3 lakh; for Class-i municipal councils this is ₹2.7 lakh; class II- ₹1.7 lakh; class III- ₹1.45 lakh and candidates for nagar panchayats Rs 1.05 lakh.