Polls for 105 Peunjab urban civic bodies on May 26

Chandigarh: Punjab will head to the critical municipal elections on May 26 in a litmus test for the state's major parties ahead of next year's assembly vote.State election commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhuri announced on Monday that eight municipal corporations, 76 councils, and 21 nagar panchayats will participate in the civic elections. The model code of conduct is now in effect, freezing new development announcements until the electoral process concludes.Polling is scheduled from 8am to 5pm, with the official count to follow on May 29. The 105 urban bodies include major corporations in Abohar, Barnala, Batala, Bathinda, Kapurthala, Moga, Pathankot, and Mohali. Elections for Hoshiarpur and Sham Chaurasi will be about a month later due to electoral roll and ward reservation issues.For the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the vote serves as a referendum on its four-year tenure in the office. Conversely, the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and the BJP — mostly seeking to expand their urban base into rural districts — view the polls as an opportunity to mobilise cadres before the 2027 state elections.Nomination TimelineCandidates may contest under party symbols, with the nomination window opening on May 13 and closing on May 16. Scrutiny will be on May 18, with a withdrawal deadline of May 19. All candidates must submit prescribed affidavits and party authorisation letters, with "know your candidate" (KYC) details to be published on district websites.boxKey Election DataVoters | 36,72,932Polling stations | 3,977Personnel | 36,000 election staff, 35,500 copsObservers | IAS and PCS officers in each districtboxSpending CapsMunicipal Corporations | ₹4LClass I Councils | ₹3.6LClass II Councils | ₹2.3LClass III Councils | ₹2LNagar Panchayats | ₹1.4LMSID:: 131015931 413 |