PUNJAB LIKELY TO GO FOR URBAN LOCAL BODY POLLS IN OCT

Ministers in a meeting chaired by CM Amarinder near unanimous on this; final decision to be taken keeping in view Covid situation

› Our department will complete all formalities related to delimitation of wards by the end of this month.

BRAHM MOHINDRA, state local bodies minister, in a meeting with cabinet colleagues

CHANDIGARH:The elections to 126 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Punjab — nine municipal corporations and 117 municipal councils and notified area committees — are likely to be held in the second week of October even as the final decision on it will be taken keeping in view the Covid-19 situation.

The state has a total of 167 urban local bodies.

In a meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh through video conferencing, the ministers were near unanimous on the issue. Local bodies minister Brahm Mohindra is learnt to have suggested October 11 as the date of polling.

The Punjab government is expected to recommend the date to the state election commission.

As per the Municipal Corporation Act, 1911, the civic bodies must go to the polls within six months of expiry of their term. The terms of these urban bodies concluded between March 8 and April 26.

The government has appointed administrators to run the operations of the civic bodies, including the Mohali, Bathinda, Moga, Batala, Hoshiarpur, Phagwara, Kapurthala and Pathankot municipal corporations.

The CM pointed out that the pandemic was projected to peak in the state in September and therefore it would be better to take the developments into account before finalising the date.

Sources said discussion was also held to conduct these polls in November if the Covid-19 situation worsens. In the meeting, the possibility of holding the polls in August was ruled out, given the increasing number of cases of infection.

It also took note of the fact that crop procurement and the festival season will start in midOctober and thus it would not be feasible to hold the elections at that time. The ministers agreed on holding of elections at the earliest possible while taking all the factors into account.

The local bodies minister said in the meeting that his department will complete all formalities related to delimitation of wards by the end of this month.

This time, only women will contest from the odd-numbered wards while the even ones will remain open for candidates of both the genders.

A decision to this effect was taken last month by Mohindra on the lines of a law passed in 2017 by the Congress government as per which 50% wards should be reserved for women candidates.