Punjab gears up for Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti elections by May 31

Punjab is prepared to hold the next round of elections for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis.

A notification for conducting the elections has been issued on Thursday, instructing the state to hold the elections by May 31.

Although the final date of the elections has not been determined yet, government sources have informed The Tribune that these elections will be held only after the wheat harvest is complete in late April.

State Election Commissioner, Raj Kamal Chaudhari, told The Tribune that they will conduct the elections as soon as possible.

These elections have been overdue for more than a year. It is understood that the government will wait for the exams to conclude in March, as the teachers who are assigned election duty will be occupied during that period.

Immediately afterward, wheat harvesting will commence.

It is noteworthy that the elections to these two civic bodies – 23 Zila Parishads and 153 Panchayat Samitis, also known as Block Samitis, were last held in September 2018. With the election process now underway, these elections will be the new "electoral battleground," particularly between the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress.

In the previous election, Congress held sway over these bodies and will attempt to maintain its position.

The Aam Aadmi Party, riding high after its victory in the urban civic polls, is also anticipated to make every effort to win these bodies.