Punjab: Zila Parishad elections will be held before May 31

Punjab: The next phase of elections for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis is due in the state. The notification for conducting the elections was issued today, directing the state to hold the elections by May 31. Though the final date for the elections has not been decided yet, government sources said the elections will be held only after the wheat harvesting is complete. There is no bar on parties contesting on party symbols, making these elections another political battleground for the four main political parties in the state – AAP, Congress, BJP and Akali Dal.

State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary said they will hold the elections as soon as possible. These elections have been pending for more than a year. It is learnt that the government will wait for the exams to end in March as teachers put on election duty will be busy by then. After this, wheat harvesting will begin, keeping rural voters busy. Thus, the elections will be held only in early May. Elections to 23 Zila Parishads and 156 Panchayat Samitis (also known as block committees) were last held in September 2018. Now that the election process has begun, the real political battle will be between the AAP and the Congress. The Congress had control over these bodies in 2018, and will now try to save its position.