The much-awaited panchayat elections in Punjab are set to take place on October 15 with over 13,000 gram panchayats participating. The announcement comes after more than five years since the last panchayat elections were held in December 2018. State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary on Wednesday officially declared the election schedule, simultaneously enforcing the Model Code of Conduct across the states villages.   The elections, which will involve the selection of 13,237 sarpanches and 83,437 panches, will be conducted through ballot boxes at 19,110 polling booths scattered throughout Punjab. The voting will take place between 8 am and 4 pm, and the votes will be counted at the same polling stations immediately after the polls close.   One of the most challenging aspects of organizing the elections is their timing, as the polls coincide with the harvesting and procurement operations — Asias largest. The mid-October date falls right during the peak of the paddy harvesting season, meaning that many farmers will be busy in their fields or at mandis (grain markets) for procurement.   Chaudhary maintained that the State Election Commission considered the agricultural season and upcoming festivals, including Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti, when scheduling the polls. Despite these challenges, October 15 has been finalized as the most feasible date to accommodate all stakeholders, he said.   The elections to Zila Parishads and municipal bodies will be announced later, he said.   Only a few days ago, the states Rural Development and Panchayats Department had issued a notification under Section 299 of Panchayati Raj Act stating that the elections would have to be conducted in the state before October 20.   The filing of nominations will open on September 27 and continue until October 4, excluding the holidays on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti) and October 3. After scrutiny on October 5, candidates will have time until October 7 to withdraw their nominations. Depending on its size and population, each panchayat will elect one sarpanch and between five to 13 panches.   The enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct will ensure that no new development schemes or funds are introduced in gram panchayat areas until the elections are over. State Cabinet Ministers and political leaders will be prohibited from using official machinery or conducting government-related activities in the panchayats.   Chaudhary emphasized that the code of conduct would only be enforced in villages where elections are contested. In cases where panchayats are elected unanimously, the code will not apply.   In case of panchayats getting elected unanimously, there would be no code of conduct in the village. But if even a single panch would be contesting, the code would come into place, he clarified. Additionally, provisions for the use of NOTA (None of the Above) will be available to voters during the elections.   The SEC has also imposed strict regulations on campaign activities, banning the use of flags, banners, or other promotional materials on public property. Any violations will be closely monitored by election officials.   No Party Symbols   The panchayat polls, this time, will see the absence of party symbols — a notable change introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led state government. Recently, the State Government amended the rules to bar candidates from contesting on party symbols. Instead, independent candidates will contest the elections using free symbols, with 173 symbols available for the panchayat polls. Of these, 38 symbols are reserved for sarpanches and 70 for panches, none of which are associated with the political parties.   In addition, the State Election Commission has also placed a cap on the expenditure that candidates can incur. The sarpanches are allowed to spend up to Rs 40,000, while the limit for panches is Rs 30,000. To ensure compliance, Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to monitor election spending closely, and senior IAS and PCS officers will serve as observers during the polls.   We are writing to Deputy Commissioners to monitor the expenditure. Nobody will be allowed to deface any property by putting any flag or banner on any property, Choudhary mentioned.   Polls Delayed Due to Lok Sabha Elections   The announcement of the panchayat elections had been delayed for several months, with the terms of many panchayats expiring in January 2023. Punjab Government had originally dissolved all gram panchayats, panchayat samitis, and zila parishads prematurely on August 10, 2023, to pave the way for fresh elections. However, this move faced legal challenges, with petitions filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Following this, the Government withdrew its notification, leading to further delays. The SEC stated that the delays were primarily due to the Lok Sabha elections and subsequent legal hurdles. However, with the High Court pushing the Government to clarify its intentions, the election dates were finally announced.   Reservation Roster   The Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, was recently amended by the AAP Government to modify the reservation system for sarpanch posts. Under the new rules, reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and women candidates will be based on the block, rather than district, level. The changes will affect many villages, as sarpanch seats will now be reserved according to the 2011 census report. The previous Congress Government had reserved 50 percent of panchayat seats for women, a policy that will continue in these elections, covering both general and reserved categories.   The process for finalizing the reservation roster is already underway, and the SEC will soon release updated voter lists and prepare ballot papers for the polls.  In fact, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had raised questions about the same pointing that with the nomination process set to take off from a day after, the villages are unaware regarding the reservation — that is whether their village is reserved for SC or women candidate — causing confusion, especially among those who wanted to contest.   

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