Punjab, Sindh LG polls: Election Commission finally notifies schedule for first phase

Polling on Oct 8, filing of nominations starts Sept 7, process of scrutiny and appeals ends on Sept 30.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) finally notified on Wednesday the schedule for the first phase of long delayed local government (LG) elections in Punjab and Sindh.

In the first phase, polling will be held in 12 districts of Punjab and eight districts of Sindh on October 31. After official notification of schedule, no changes can be made in the voter-lists in both provinces.

Similarly, the provincial governments cannot make any postings and transfers of public servants unless approved by the commission.

Districts of Punjab that will go for LG polls in the first phase are Lahore, Chakwal, Lodhran, Vehari, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahwalnagar, Faisalabad, Bhakar, Kasur, Nankana Sahib and Gujrat.

In Sindh, polling will be held in districts Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki, Larkana, Shikarpur, Qamber-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad and Kashmore-Kandhkot.

Phase 1 schedule

According to the announced schedule, ECP appointed returning officers for these districts will issue public notice for polls on September 1. Intending contenders will file their nominations from September 7 to 11. ROs will scrutinise application forms of contestants from September 12 to 17. Contestants will be allowed to file appeals against the decisions of ROs in the special pre-poll tribunals.

The judges in the tribunal will have to decide all such appeals by September 30. Once this process completes, ROs will publish lists of candidates for the final run on October 2. The contestants will be allowed to campaign till 48 hours before October 31, the polling day.

Reprimanded in the Supreme Court, which has been actively pursuing petitions asking for LG polls, ECP last week announced that it will hold elections in these two provinces in three phases.

Phase two and three

As per ECP’s announcement, polling in second phase of LG elections will be held in 12 districts of Punjab and 15 in Sindh on November 19.

Districts in Punjab which will go for polls in the second phase are Khanewal, Sahiwal, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, Sargodha, Mianwali, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Mundi Bahauddin, Attock and Jhelum.

In Sindh, districts Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu and Jamshoro will go for polls on November 19. Other districts in Sindh that would go for polls in the second phase include: Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehro Feroz, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar.

Polling for the third phase of LG polls will be held on December 3. Twelve districts in Punjab and six in Sindh – all in Karachi  – would go for polls. Districts in Punjab where elections will be held in third phase include Layyah, Rajanpur, DG Khan, Muzzafargarh, Jhang, Khushab, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Narowal, Rahim Yar Khan and Multan. In Karachi, the elections for local bodies will be held in districts South, East, West, Central, Malir and Korangi on December 3.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2015.