PANCHAYAT ELECTIONS: 12,37,341 voters to exercise right to franchise in dist today

As many as 12,37,341 voters will exercise their right to franchise at 1,408 polling booths in 784 villages of the district tomorrow to elect sarpanches and panchs.

District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jitendra Jorwal oversaw the dispatch of polling parties from different centres in SRS Polytechnic College, SCD Government College.

There are 941 village panchayats in Ludhiana, of which 157 panchayats have been elected unanimously and the voting will be held in the remaining 784 villages. As many as 1,408 booths have been set up for the voting. Of the total 12.37 lakh voters, 6.5 lakh are male, 5.8 lakh are female and 21 belong to the third gender category.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made by the district administration at 38 hypersensitive and 177 sensitive polling booths.

The voting will be held from 8 am till 4 pm tomorrow and counting of votes would be held the same day. Around 7,040 employees had been assigned duties for conducting the poll in a free, fair, and transparent manner. The entire election staff had been exhorted to perform their duties diligently so that voters could cast their votes in a smooth and hassle-free manner. The district administration was duty-bound to hold the poll in a peaceful and transparent way, the DC said.

Jorwal also reiterated that the administration had evolved an effective mechanism for keeping a strict vigil over law and order during the panchayat elections. Adequate security arrangements have been made at the polling booths.

Jorwal also exhorted the voters to exercise their franchise freely to strengthen the ethos of democracy at the grassroots level.

A dry day has been declared in areas falling under gram panchayats from October 15 midnight to October 16 till 10 am.

Poll for 2 posts of sarpanch cancelled

The Punjab state Election Commission (SEC) has cancelled the elections for the posts of sarpanch in two panchayats of Ludhiana district. Issuing the orders, District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal said the elections for the posts of sarpanch in Dalla and Pona villages of Jagraon tehsil stand cancelled with immediate effect. A fresh date for the same

in these villages would be announced later, he said.