ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has fixed the deadline of August 7, to award tickets, for those political parties that intend to field their respective candidates for Local Government (LG) elections in Cantonment Boards (CBs) across the country.
In a notification issued on Thursday, the ECP asked the political party heads to award the tickets to the candidates, either directly or through designated representatives, by the given deadline.
The electoral body also asked the party heads, in case they wanted to designate their representatives to award party tickets, to submit the details of those representatives to the electoral body including their names, father names, party portfolios and signature specimens not later than August 7 - in order to allot electoral symbols to contesting candidates by the Returning Officers on August 13.
On July 9, the ECP issued the schedule for LG elections in 219 wards of 42 CBs across the country, to be held on September 12, this year.
According to the schedule, public notice for inviting nomination papers for LG polls was issued on July 15, receipt of nomination papers: July 26-29, publication of notice of all nomination papers received: July 30, scrutiny of nomination papers and publication of names of nominated candidates: July 31-August 3, filing of appeals against acceptance/rejection of nomination papers: August 4-7, last date of disposal of appeals by the appellate authorities: August 10, publication of revised list of candidates: August 11, last date for withdrawal of candidature: August 12, final list of candidates with allotted symbols: August 13, polling date: September 12 and declaration of polls results: September 17.
Of 42 CBs where the LG polls are scheduled, 20 are located in Punjab that have 119 wards, 11 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa having 37 wards, eight in Sindh having 54 wards and three in Balochistan having nine wards.
The 42 CBs are: Rawalpindi, Taxila, Wah, Attock, Kamra, Sanjwal, Mangla, Murree Hills, Jhelum, Kharian, Lahore, Walton, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Shorkot, Sargodha, Okara, Multan, Bhawalpur, Quetta, Zhob, Loralai, Peshawar, Nowshera, Risalpur, Cherat, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Murree Gallis (separate from Murree Hills), Havelian, Abbottabad, Kalabagh, Hyderabad, Pannu Aqil, Faisal, Malir, Korangi, Manora, Clifton and Karachi.
Following the issuance of elections schedule, the ECP, also on July 9, barred all the executive authorities at the centre and in the provinces from announcing/launching any development package or using state resources in CBs elections "calculated to influence the elections in favour of a particular candidate."
The ECP also banned transfers and postings of the officials appointed by the electoral body to hold LG elections in CBs till the announcement of election results.
On January 30, 2020, the ECP announced to start delimitation of wards in 42 CBs across the country and listed March 27 last year as the date to issue the final notification regarding completion of the delimitation exercise.
However, on account of alarming spread of coronavirus across the country and issues concerning certain CBs, the LG polls in CBs that were scheduled last year, kept facing delay on one pretext or another till the ECP finally announced the polls schedule on July 9.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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