Punjab to hold Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections on December 14; voting to take place through ballot papers

PTC Web Desk: The Punjab State Election Commission has announced that the elections for Zila Parishads and Panchayat Samitis will be conducted on December 14, with counting scheduled for December 17. State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary shared the details during a press conference on Friday, confirming that polling will take place using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Explaining the decision, officials said conducting these elections via EVMs is not feasible as nearly 40,000 machines would be required, and state election bodies are not permitted to borrow EVMs from the Election Commission of India. As a result, ballot paper–based voting will be adopted across Punjab.

Punjab will set up 19,181 polling booths to facilitate the elections. In rural constituencies, the voter count stands at 1.36 crore, who will cast their votes for two different tiers of local governance.

Every polling booth will have two separate ballot boxes—one for Zila Parishad elections and another for Panchayat Samiti elections.

Punjab has 357 zones under various Zila Parishads, with one member to be elected from each zone. Similarly, the state’s 154 Panchayat Samitis are divided into 2,863 zones, each electing one member.

50% reservation for women

The commission confirmed that half of all seats in both Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections will be reserved for women, in line with the state’s commitment to strengthening grassroots-level female representation.

Candidate eligibility, nomination rules & fees

To contest these elections, candidates must:

• Be at least 21 years old.
• Be a registered voter in the same zone from which they wish to contest.
• Have both the proposer and seconder from the same zone.

The nomination process requires candidates to submit Form No. 4 along with a self-declaration detailing their income, liabilities, ongoing court cases, and other personal data. Candidates from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Backward Class (BC/VC) categories must attach valid certificates.

Nomination fees have been fixed as:

• Rs 400 for Zila Parishad candidates
• Rs 200 for Panchayat Samiti candidates
• For SC/BC candidates, the fee will be reduced by 50%.

The Commission has urged citizens to report any official demanding higher fees.

Election expenditure limits

Candidates may contest independently or seek sponsorship from six recognised political parties.

The expenditure limits are:

• Rs 2,55,000 for Zila Parishad candidates
• Rs 1,10,000 for Panchayat Samiti candidates
• Exceeding these limits will not be permitted.

Security arrangements & sensitive locations

To ensure smooth and secure polling, 96,000 polling staff and 50,000 police personnel will be deployed across Punjab. Around 75% of the police force will be dedicated to district-level duties, including STF and reserve units.

Out of 13,000 identified polling locations, 915 have been marked highly sensitive and 3,528 have been categorised as sensitive. Special security checkpoints and enhanced surveillance will be implemented during the nomination period and polling days.

- PTC NEWS

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