ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday called on the Punjab government to urgently provide the required rules, data, notifications, and certified maps to enable the timely commencement of delimitations for local government (LG) constituencies across the province, as the long-pending electoral process faces yet another delay.
The directive came during a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja at the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by ECP members, the secretary of the Election Commission, and senior representatives from the Punjab government, including the chief secretary and secretary for local government.
Addressing the session, the CEC stressed that conducting local government elections is a joint constitutional responsibility of the ECP and the provincial government. He underscored the need for Punjab’s administration to fulfill its part by promptly submitting all necessary documentation and mapping materials so that the delimitation process can begin without further delay.
Briefing the Commission, the Punjab chief secretary stated that the provincial government is committed to holding the LG polls. He informed the meeting that a draft of the Constituency Delimitation Rules under the Local Government Act 2025 has already been shared with the Election Commission.
The CEC directed the ECP Secretariat to review the draft rules and communicate its feedback to the provincial government at the earliest.
The chief secretary further assured the forum that the Local Government Conduct of Election Rules draft will be sent to the ECP by November 15, 2025, for review and recommendations. He added that the government will also provide the demarcation notification and classification of town corporations, municipal corporations, municipal committees, and tehsil councils by December 22, 2025.
Additionally, he said that notifications regarding the number of additional union councils will be issued by December 31, 2025, while certified maps of all local bodies will be shared with the ECP by January 10, 2026, after which the delimitation process can formally commence.
Following the briefing, the Election Commission instructed the chief secretary to ensure strict adherence to the proposed schedule to prevent any further procedural delays.
Under Article 140-A of the Constitution and Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, the ECP is constitutionally required to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of existing LG bodies’ terms. However, the polls in Punjab have repeatedly been postponed due to administrative, legislative, and procedural hurdles.
 on Friday called on the Punjab government to urgently provide the required rules, data, notifications, and certified maps to enable the timely commencement of delimitations for local government (LG) constituencies across the province, as the long-pending electoral process faces yet another delay.){kind=link}