ECP to demarcate LG constituencies afresh

The Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to initiate the process of creating new local government constituencies in the province, including the Rawalpindi Division, starting early next year, following the gazette notification issued by the Governor of Punjab. The changes will also include adjustments to national and provincial constituencies.

With the increase in population and new voter registrations, there is expected to be a rise in the number of wards and union councils within local body constituencies. A Union Council will comprise a population of 20,000 to 25,000, though councils in remote villages may be formed with smaller populations.

According to the Governor's Gazette notification, Punjab now has a total of 10 divisions with an increase of one division. The number of districts has become 41 with 156 tehsils in them. The new constituencies will be under the supervision of the District Election Commission offices.

To facilitate this process, maps and constituency details for districts and tehsils have been requested from all Additional Deputy Commissioners (Revenue). Constituencies for new municipalities are expected to be finalised within three months. Subsequently, local government elections will be held under the new Local Government Act.

The new legislation, which draws on the 2013 Local Government Act implemented during Shehbaz Sharif's tenure, will undergo minor modifications. The revised Local Government Act 2025 is anticipated to be presented in the Punjab Assembly by the end of January.