LG polls in Punjab: ECP begins preparing preliminary list of constituencies

ISLAMABAD: In the backdrop of prolonged delay in holding the local government elections in Punjab, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has begun the preparation of the preliminary list of constituencies as part of its yet another delimitation drive for the LG elections in Pakistan’s largest province.

Keeping in view the delimitation schedule issued by the poll body last week, the preparation of the preliminary list of constituencies by the delimitation committees for holding LG elections in Punjab started earlier on Monday, and to continue till the end of this month.

The final list of Punjab LG constituencies is scheduled to be published on December 8, according to a notification issued by the electoral body on 9 October.

Presently, the local bodies are in place in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and cantonment boards, but LG elections in Punjab and the federal capital have been facing an inordinate delay since 2021.

The local bodies’ term in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) expired on 14 February 2021 and in Punjab on 31st December 2021.

Legally, the electoral body is bound to hold LG elections within 120 days of the expiry of the relevant local bodies’ term, under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017.

This law provides that the ECP shall hold elections to the local governments within 120 days of the expiry of the term of local governments in any province, cantonment, or the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

In addition, Article 218 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan provides that it shall be the ECP’s duty to organise and conduct the elections, and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that an election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with law, and that corrupt practices are guarded against.

The ECP says that whenever it finalises the LG polls’ preparations, the LG laws are amended by the governments concerned, causing a delay in the elections.

According to the poll body, it carried out delimitation exercises multiple times in Punjab and ICT for LG elections before the LG laws were amended each time by the governments concerned, shortly after the related poll schedules were issued.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025