Final round of local body elections in Punjab underway

LAHORE - The final round of local body elections in Punjab has commenced today (Thursday) for electing  179 municipal committee chairmen.

Polling for the seats of Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Mayors and Deputy Mayors is being carried out in the Local Government Institutions of the Punjab Province.

In Punjab, out of 224 seats, 64 candidates have already been elected unopposed. Out of 10 municipal corporations in Punjab, 5 candidates of PakistanMuslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) have been elected unopposed, whereas others would be elected today.

34 district council chairmen and 54 municipal committee chairmen have also been elected unopposed.

No ministers or members of parliament will be allowed to enter the polling stations during the elections. The contestants and the voters will also not be allowed to take their mobile phones inside the booth as part of ECP's policy.

On the other hand, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan Wednesday said the PML(N) has nominated candidates for local bodies elections purely on merit basis.

In an exclusive talk with APP, he said that candidate for the city mayor had been selected on the basis of his honesty and commitment and he would work according to aspirations of the masses.

He said that nomination of Muhammad Razzaq Malik as candidate of city Mayor would work for systematic and planned development of the city and those had been disappointed who were trying to loot the resources.

He said the PML(N) nominated candidate would play dynamic role to strengthen democracy at the grass root level by providing all basic amenities to the people at their doorsteps.