ECP proposes Dec 14 for Punjab LG polls

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has proposed December 14, 2026 as the polling date for local government (LG) elections in Punjab and has forwarded the draft election schedule to the provincial government for consultation and feedback. The last LG elections in the country's most populous province were held in 2015 and the tenure of the last LGs in Punjab had ended in 2021. According to the proposed schedule, the ECP will initiate the election process by issuing a public notice for the submission of nomination papers on October 23, 2026. Candidates will be able to file their nomination papers with the returning officers from October 27 to 30, while the list of received nomination papers will be published on October 31. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted from November 2 to 5, followed by the publication of the list of validly nominated candidates on November 6. Candidates will be allowed to file appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers from November 7 to 11. The appellate authorities will decide these appeals between November 12 and 16. Following the disposal of appeals, a revised list of validly nominated candidates will be published on November 17. The last date for withdrawal of candidature has been set for November 18, while the revised list following withdrawals will be published on November 19. The final list of candidates along with their allotted electoral symbols is scheduled to be published on November 20, 2026. Under the draft programme, polling for the local government elections has been proposed for December 14, 2026, while returning officers are scheduled to announce the results on December 17. This development follows a consultation meeting held on August 20 between the ECP and the Punjab government's cabinet committee regarding the proposed polling date. During the meeting, the provincial government proposed holding LG elections between December 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027, a proposal with which the ECP agreed. The ECP has sent the draft programme to the Punjab chief secretary to obtain suggestions and feedback before issuing the final election schedule. The draft programme has been prepared for elections to the general seats of Union Councils in Punjab. The ECP has clarified that the schedule is currently a draft proposal and the final election programme will be issued after completing the consultation process with the Punjab government. Punjab has not held a full province-wide LG election since 2015, despite subsequent attempts to establish new LG systems and conduct delimitation.