Punjab civic body poll on Feb 14

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

The State Election Commission today announced civic body elections in Punjab on February 14. State Election Commissioner Jagpal Singh Sandhu announced the schedule for elections or byelections to eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats.

With the announcement, the model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect within the municipal areas of the municipalities where elections will be held. The code will stay in force till the completion of the electoral process.

Sandhu said the process of filing of nomination papers would commence on January 30 and end on February 3. The papers would be scrutinised on February 4, while these could be withdrawn till February 5, which would also be the date of allotting of poll symbols to candidates.

Campaigning would end at 5 pm on February 12 and voting would take place from 8 am to 4 pm on February 14. The counting of votes would be done on February17.

As many as 145 returning officers and 145 assistant returning officers had been appointed for conduct of elections. Thirty IAS or PCS officers would be appointed as election observers and six IPS officers as police observers to ensure free and fair conduct of elections. He said 400 members would be elected for the eight municipal corporations and 1,902 for 109 municipal councils or nagar panchayats in the state.

In a first, 50 per cent of the seats had been reserved for women in the municipal elections as per the Punjab Government instructions.

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