Voting will begin at 8 am and run until 4 pm, using ballot papers, officials stated. The counting of votes is scheduled for December 17, they added.
A total of 1.36 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots, with over 19,000 polling booths established across all rural districts.
Elections will be conducted to choose representatives for 347 zones of Zila Parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 Panchayat Samitis.
Officials noted there are 860 hyper-sensitive and 3,400 sensitive polling locations.
Approximately 44,000 police personnel will be assigned for election duties.
The Punjab State Election Commission has appointed election observers and police observers, reiterating its commitment to conducting the general elections in a fair and transparent manner.
The AAP is campaigning for support based on the initiatives of the Bhagwant Mann government.
During their campaign, AAP leaders emphasized measures such as providing 300 units of free electricity to 90 percent of households, establishing mohalla clinics, and creating government job opportunities.
In the lead-up to the elections, opposition parties have criticized the Mann government, accusing it of using state resources to hinder their candidates’ nomination submissions.
In light of allegations regarding police misuse by the AAP government, an audio clip surfaced on social media featuring Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, claiming that Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Varun Sharma and others were conspiring to impede opposition candidates from filing their nominations under the orders of the AAP.
While police labeled the audio clip as a fake AI-generated conference call, the issue reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court after Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa filed petitions.
Cheema sought judicial measures to ensure fair elections, while Bajwa requested an extension for the nomination filing deadline, which ended on December 4, arguing that opposition candidates experienced “intimidation and systematic obstruction.”
Afterward, IPS officer Varun Sharma took leave, and the Sangrur SSP was assigned additional responsibilities as Patiala SSP.
The High Court instructed the Punjab State Election Commission to direct all police personnel engaged in poll duty to maintain non-partisanship and refrain from any actions detrimental to the integrity of free and fair elections.
In response to the High Court ruling, the Punjab State Election Commission contacted the Punjab Director General of Police to ensure transparency and fairness in the elections.
“Recent incidents, including the viral audio recording of a senior police official in Patiala district, have significantly undermined the perception of police neutrality and fairness in the electoral process.
“While this is under investigation, such occurrences create distrust among the public regarding the impartiality of the official machinery, making it challenging to restore confidence in the election system,” the SEC stated.
