All arrangements in place for polls on Dec 21

Ludhiana, December 18, 2024: The district administration is fully prepared to ensure the peaceful conduct of elections for the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana (MCL) as well as various Municipal Councils and one Nagar Panchayat. 

Within the MCL, there are 95 wards. The Machhiwara and Sahnewal Municipal Councils each have 15 wards, while the Municipal Council of Mullanpur Dakha has 13 wards. The Nagar Panchayat of Malaud consists of 11 wards, and both the Municipal Council of Khanna and the Municipal Council of Samrala have one ward each.

In total, 12, 28,187 voters will decide the fate of candidates in the fray, including 447 candidates for MCL and others for the various MC elections on December 21.

District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal stated that a well-planned strategy has been developed to ensure these elections are conducted peacefully and transparently. He confirmed that the necessary arrangements have been implemented and that 11054 officers from both the civil and police administration have been assigned to ensure free and fair polls.

For the MCL elections, there are a total of 1165749 voters, comprising 624708 male voters, 540938 female voters, and 103 third gender voters. Jorwal mentioned that 420 polling stations have been designated as very sensitive and will receive security coverage from local police to guarantee a fair election process on December 21, where 447 candidates will compete.

Regarding the elections for Machhiwara Municipal Council, Sahnewal Municipal Council, Municipal Council Mullanpur Dakha, Nagar Panchayat Malaud, Municipal Council Khanna, and Municipal Council Samrala, there are a total of 62438 voters, including 32429 male voters, 30007 female voters, and two third gender voters. A total of 56 wards across these councils and one Nagar Panchayat will have 80 polling stations set up, with 31 stations classified as sensitive and 14 as very sensitive. In total, 160 candidates are contesting in these elections, including 24 candidates for Machhiwara Municipal Council, 54 candidates for Sahnewal Municipal Council, 31 candidates for Nagar Panchayat Malaud, 44 candidates for Municipal Council Mullanpur Dakha, 5 candidates for Municipal Council Khanna, and 2 candidates for Municipal Council Samrala.

For the first time in these elections, the Deputy Commissioner announced that CCTV cameras will be installed at each polling station to ensure a transparent polling and counting process. Voting will be conducted from 7 AM to 4 PM, with vote counting immediately following the closure of polls on December 21. Campaigning will conclude on December 19 at 4 PM, and polling teams will be dispatched to their respective stations on December 20.

The Deputy Commissioner emphasized that the polling process and vote counting will be conducted transparently and that no one would be allowed to disrupt the law. He reiterated the district administration's commitment to putting in place robust security measures and procedural checks to ensure free and fair elections. 

Jorwal also noted that in the 2018 elections, Ludhiana recorded a voting percentage of 59.08% and encouraged voters to exercise their right to vote freely to strengthen grassroots democracy. He assured that the administration would do everything possible to ensure peaceful and transparent elections.