Haryana Chief Secretary assures full support for smooth conduct of civic elections

Haryana Chief Secretary Dr Vivek Joshi has assured State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh that the administration will extend full cooperation to ensure the upcoming municipal elections are conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner.

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Dr Joshi and Dhanpat Singh jointly chaired a meeting in Chandigarh to review preparations for the General Election of municipal bodies in the state.

State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh said, "The State Election Commission has decided to conduct General Election for eight Municipal Corporations, four Municipal Councils, and 21 Municipal Committees, along with bypoll for key municipal posts."

The bypoll will cover two mayoral seats — Ambala and Sonepat — along with three president positions in Sohna (Gurugram), Assandh (Karnal) and Ismailabad (Kurukshetra). Additionally, three municipal ward seats — Ward No. 11 of Ladwa (Kurukshetra), Ward No. 14 of Safidon (Jind) and Ward No. 05 of Taraori (Karnal) — will also be contested.

As per the election schedule, polling for the general and by-election will take place on March 2, except for the Municipal Corporation of Panipat, where elections will be held on March 9.

Dhanpat Singh highlighted that elections will be held for 644 wards across 33 municipal bodies. Among these, 78 wards are reserved for Scheduled Castes, 55 for Scheduled Caste women, 29 for Backward Classes (A), 34 for Backward Class (A) women, 8 for Backward Classes (B), 30 for Backward Class (B) women, 111 for women (general) and 299 are unreserved. The state has 45,26,227 registered voters across these 33 municipalities (excluding Panipat), comprising 24,03,004 men, 21,23,072 women and 151 transgender voters. To facilitate smooth polling, 4,469 polling booths will be set up.

During the meeting, detailed discussions were held regarding the enforcement of the model code of conduct, maintaining law and order, ensuring uninterrupted power and water supply, sanitation, health services and excise and taxation matters.

With comprehensive arrangements in place, the Haryana administration has reiterated its commitment to conducting transparent, efficient and peaceful municipal elections across the state.