Campaigning ends for civic body polls in Punjab

Chandigarh, February 12

The campaigning for the civic body elections scheduled to be held on February 14 in Punjab ended on Friday.

Eight municipal corporations, 109 municipal councils, and nagar panchayats will go to the polls on Sunday with 9,222 candidates in the fray, state Election Commission officials said.

The election campaign came to an end at 5 pm.

The required election material and EVMs will be handed over to polling parties on February 13 while voting will take place on February 14 from 8 am to 4 pm, the officials said, adding that the counting will take place on February 17.

Besides the ruling Congress in the state, AAP, SAD and the BJP are also contesting these polls.

This is the first election in which the SAD and the BJP will be contesting separately after the Akalis snapped ties with the saffron outfit over the farm laws last year.

Ahead of the polls, the Opposition has accused the Congress of “misusing” the government machinery to influence the polls, a charge denied by the ruling party.

A SAD delegation had on Tuesday urged Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore to direct the state government to countermand the civic body polls at all places where nomination papers of opposition candidates were rejected.

A BJP delegation on Thursday met the governor, urging him to issue directions for the deployment of paramilitary forces in the state in the view of “deteriorating” law and order situation ahead of the polls. — PTI