The State Election Commission on Thursday evening declared a holiday in Punjab for the elections of five municipal corporations and 44 municipal councils on December 21. The Commission has declared a public holiday in all government offices under the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 wherever elections are being held. Government employees and other workers, who are voters of municipal corporations but work at some other place, will be given special leave as per the rules. Holidays have also been declared in those schools whose buildings are being used for elections.
The five Municipal Corporations that will undergo polls are- Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Phagwara. To ensure a smooth voting and everyone participates in it, the SEC has issued a notification in which it has clarified what what will be closed tomorrow.
What will be closed tomorrow due to the local bodies' election in Punjab?
- December 21 has been declared as a public holiday in all Punjab Government offices situated in the jurisdiction of the Municipal Bodies where elections are going to be held.
- Special Leave to government employees and other workers, who are voters of these municipal bodies that are going to the polls, but are employed elsewhere.
- A holiday will be declared in all the schools whose buildings are being used for election purposes on December 21
- A 'close day' has been declared within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Bodies that are going to the polls so that workers of commercial shops, factories, and establishments can cast their votes. It means workers working there if they are registered voters, they will be granted leave so that they can cast their votes. Otherwise, shops and factories can remain open.
- December 21 has been declared as a "Dry Day" in the revenue jurisdiction of the Municipal Bodies that are going to the polls. Meaning the sale of liquor is not allowed tomorrow in the poll-bound MCs.
- Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar, Punjabi University Patiala, and Panjab University, Chandigarh, have informed that they have postponed all those annual and semester exams which were scheduled to be held on 21.12.2024. Students who were to appear in various exams on these dates may refer to the concerned University Website for details of the fresh dates.
- The Governor of Punjab has passed a notification exempting those workers who are working in the registered factories situated in the State of Punjab and are enrolled as voter within the revenue jurisdiction of the Municipal Bodies to cast their vote tomorrow. (It simply means the workers employed in registered factories within Punjab who are also registered voters within the jurisdiction of a Municipal Body in Punjab are excused from work tomorrow to allow them to vote in local bodies election.)