Punjab: Schedule for revision of electoral rolls for municipal elections issued

The Punjab State Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for the revision of electoral rolls ahead of elections for five municipal corporations (MCs) and 43 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the state.

This development comes just two days after the Supreme Court directed the Punjab government and the state election commission to notify municipal elections within 15 days and complete the entire electoral process within eight weeks.

The Punjab government had earlier moved the Supreme Court, challenging an October 19 order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which mandated that elections to municipalities and municipal corporations be notified within 15 days, even without the completion of a delimitation exercise.

Elections for five MCs—Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Phagwara—and several municipal councils have been delayed for the past two to three years.

State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhuri confirmed that the publication of the draft electoral rolls by the electoral registration officers will occur on November 14. The filing of claims and objections, if any, will take place from November 18 to 25.

Chaudhuri also outlined that claims and objections would be disposed of by December 3, and the final publication of the electoral roll will be completed on December 7.

Furthermore, the commissioner instructed all deputy commissioners and district election officers to publicize the existing voter lists on November 14 at the offices of the electoral registration officers and the concerned municipalities.

Special campaigns to facilitate the public in submitting their claims and objections will be organized in municipalities on November 20 and 21.