Punjab Civic Polls: Voting Underway Across 103 Urban Bodies, Over 7,500 Candidates In Fray
Punjab Civic Polls: Voting Underway Across 103 Urban Bodies, Over 7,500 Candidates In Fray Published By, Last Updated: May 26, 2026, 08:43 IST A total
Punjab Civic Polls: Voting Underway Across 103 Urban Bodies, Over 7,500 Candidates In Fray Published By, Last Updated: May 26, 2026, 08:43 IST A total of 7,555 candidates are contesting across 1,896 wards. Out of these, 1,613 candidates are contesting in 396 wards spread across eight municipal corporations. More Than 35 Lakh Voters to Decide Fate of 7,555 Candidates in Punjab Polling for civic body elections across Punjab will take place today, with voting being held in 103 urban local bodies, including eight municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils and 20 nagar panchayats. More than 7,500 candidates are contesting in the elections, making it one of the largest urban electoral exercises in the state in recent years. Authorities have put extensive security and administrative arrangements in place for smooth polling. Speaking to ANI, a voter said, “Many people are coming and have cast their votes.
Everyone should come and use their democratic rights… People are excited, and they will come…" Over 7,500 candidates in fray According to officials, a total of 7,555 candidates are contesting across 1,896 wards. Out of these, 1,613 candidates are contesting in 396 wards spread across eight municipal corporations. The municipal corporations going to polls are Abohar, Batala, Barnala, Bathinda, Kapurthala, Mohali, Moga and Pathankot. In the 75 municipal councils, 5,142 candidates are contesting in 1,282 wards. Another 800 candidates are in the fray in 218 wards of the 20 nagar panchayats. More than 35 lakh voters eligible The electorate across the 103 urban bodies stands at 35.45 lakh voters. Officials said this includes 18.33 lakh male voters, 17.11 lakh female voters and 220 voters listed under other categories. Voting arrangements have been made across the state to handle the large turnout expected during polling hours.
Massive security deployment To ensure peaceful elections, authorities have deployed around 32,000 police personnel across Punjab. In addition, nearly 35,000 election staff members have been assigned election duty. Officials also identified several polling stations as sensitive from a security point of view. A total of 740 polling booths have been declared sensitive, while another 274 have been categorised as hypersensitive. The administration said special monitoring and additional security arrangements have been put in place at these locations. Counting on May 29 Officials confirmed that the counting of votes will take place on May 29. Meanwhile, elections to four municipal councils – Dinanagar, Gurdaspur, Qadian and Sham Chaurasi – will be held separately at a later date. No separate schedule has yet been announced for those elections. Punjab Courts closed for polling day Ahead of the civic polls, the Punjab and Haryana High Court declared May 26 a general holiday for all subordinate courts across Punjab.
The decision was taken to facilitate voting during the municipal corporation, municipal council and nagar panchayat elections. The High Court notification stated that all subordinate courts in Punjab would remain closed on polling day to enable participation in the civic elections. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: Punjab, India, India First Published: May 26, 2026, 08:43 IST News india Punjab Civic Polls: Voting Underway Across 103 Urban Bodies, Over 7,500 Candidates In Fray Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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