Punjab decides to go ahead with local polls

LAHORE:

After much back and forth and a looming chance of delays in the political process, it has been decided to conduct Punjab’s local body elections in two phases starting phase one on May 29 of this year. In the first phase, the elections will be held across 17 out of 36 districts, in regard to which the government approved the release of rupees nine billion in funds. The summary for this has also been approved by the Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, while the provincial election commission and the government have started planning to commence both phases this year. However, the final approval of the delimitation list is expected to be approved by March 22.

At present, the delimitation process for holding elections in Punjab is near completion, with a few final steps due. The government will reach a consensus on the Punjab Local Government Act in the next few days, following which the session of the Punjab Assembly will convene, where it will be unanimously enacted into law.

Per informed sources, the government wants to hold the local body elections through electronic voting machines (EVMs), but the final decision regarding this will be taken by the Election Commission. “According to the Act, local body elections should be held through EVM but the election comission has taken a stand that elections cannot be held through electronic voting machine anytime soon. Therefore, this clause should be removed from the Act, but the Punjab government is not making any change in this, but the verdict on the matter resists with the election commission.” told a source privy to the matters of the Local Government Ordinance. “If not present then the coming elections will be through electronic voting machine only,” he opined adding further.

According to the source, the Punjab Election Commission had asked the Local Government Ordinance to remove the provision of holding elections through EVM, but it was stressed by the Local Government Ordinance that the clause will not be removed, and if the election commission wants to hold elections they should go ahead.

In this regard, Local Government Minister Mian Mahmood Al-Rasheed said that seven meetings of the Standing Committee have been held to create consensus on the Punjab Local Government Act. The Government and Opposition members of the Standing Committee have a complete consensus on 125 out of 222 provisions of the Act. A consensus on the remaining clauses is expected at the next meeting. “The Speaker has formed a larger committee to create complete consensus in the House on Local Government Act, in which members of the opposition are also included. In the meeting of the Standing Committee, the proposal of the Opposition members has not only been heard openly but also the appropriate suggestions have been included in the Act, while the number of reserved and general seats has been increased,” informed the minister.

At the suggestion of the members, the name of Neighborhood Council and Village Council has also been changed to Union Council. According to members, the Union Council is a common name and too simplistic for the affair. As per Mian Mahmood Al-Rasheed, this time around seats have also been reserved for women, traders, and special persons. If each district mayor is directly elected on the same day, the people will elect the district and local government representatives in the party-based elections. In addition to the mayor, deputy mayors will also be elected based on the number of tehsils in the district. Each district assembly will have 12 district ministers, two seats will be reserved for technocrats and the term of local bodies will be four years. “The new system is being formulated in consultation with all the coalition parties and the opposition and people’s problems will now be solved at their doorsteps by the empowerment of local governments,” the minister told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2022.