All set for smooth conduct of Panchayat polls 

Ludhiana, October 14, 2024: As many as 1237341 voters will exercise their right to franchise at 1408 polling booths in 784 villages of the district tomorrow to elect the Sarpanchs and Panchs. 

District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal oversaw the dispatch of polling parties from different centers in SRS Polytechnic College, SCD Government College. There are 941 village panchayats in Ludhiana, out of which 157 panchayats have been elected unanimously and voting will be held in the remaining 784 villages. 1408 booths have been set up for the voting. Out of total these 12.37 lakh voters, 6.5 lakh are male, 5.8 lakh are female, and 21 belong to the third gender.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made by the district administration at 38 hyper-sensitive and 177 sensitive polling booths identified. 

The voting will be held from 8 AM till 4 PM tomorrow, and counting of votes will be held the same day after the end of polling. Around 7040 civil employees have been assigned duties for conducting the poll in a free, fair, and transparent manner. The entire election staff has been exhorted to perform their duties diligently so that voters can cast their votes smoothly and hassle-free. The district administration is duty-bound to hold these polls peacefully and in a transparent manner so that people can exercise their franchise freely, added Jorwal. 

The Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal also reiterated that the district administration has evolved an effective mechanism for keeping a strict vigil over law and order during the Panchayat polls. Adequate security arrangements have been made at the polling booths to ensure that elections are conducted in a smooth, hassle-free, and peaceful manner. 

Jorwal also exhorted the voters to exercise their franchise freely to strengthen the ethos of democracy at the grassroot level.