Municipal elections in Punjab tomorrow; results on 29th, 7,555 candidates in fray, 36.72 lakh voters to vote amid CCTV security

May 25, 2026

Voting for municipal corporations, municipal councils, and town panchayat elections in Punjab will take place tomorrow, that is, Tuesday. Votes will be cast tomorrow for 8 municipal corporations, 75 municipal councils, and 21 town panchayats in the state, while the election results will be announced on May 29. On Sunday, the last day of election campaigning, candidates held enthusiastic roadshows and addressed election rallies.

Meanwhile, this time voting will be done through ballot paper. There are 3,977 booths. 36,000 employees are involved in the election process. 35,500 police personnel and home guard jawans have been deployed. While 5 personnel will be deployed at each booth. IAS and PCS officers have been posted in the districts.

3.672 million voters will cast their vote.
This time, the elections for the municipal corporations of Bathinda, Abohar, Batala, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Pathankot, and Mohali have become a matter of prestige for all political parties. The special point is that elections are being held for the Barnala municipal corporation for the first time. According to the State Election Commission, a total of 3,672,932 voters will be able to exercise their voting rights in this election. Among them, 1,899,000 are men, 773,716 are women, and 226 are others.

The highest number of candidates from you in the fray
It is worth noting that after the announcement of civic elections across Punjab, 10,809 candidates had filed initial nominations. Among them, 2,393 candidates withdrew their names. 79 candidates have been elected unopposed. Now, 7,555 candidates are in the fray for the election.

The highest number of candidates are contesting from the ruling party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), totaling 1801. In second place are Congress with 1550, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 1316, Shiromani Akali Dal with 1251, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with 96, 1528 independents, and 13 other candidates contesting. Municipal elections are important for all parties, as they are considered a semi-final for the 2027 assembly elections.
CCTV inside and outside all polling booths
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered that CCTV cameras be installed inside and outside all polling booths in the state to make the election process transparent and fair, and that their recordings be preserved for at least one year.

The court has also clarified that under no circumstances will the relevant footage be destroyed without permission. A division bench of Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Justice Deepak Manchanda issued these directions while hearing various petitions related to municipal elections.

Court strict on fear of pressure and interference

The petitions alleged that there were concerns of tampering, pressure, and unauthorized interference in the municipal elections. In such a situation, additional security and monitoring arrangements are necessary to ensure free and fair voting.

During the hearing, the petitioners informed the court that CCTV surveillance should be made mandatory at polling booths, counting locations, and vote storage areas. They also demanded that senior IAS, PCS, and senior police officers be appointed as observers to monitor the entire election process.

Government holiday announced in Punjab on May 26
The Punjab government has declared a public holiday in the state on May 26 to ensure smooth voting in view of the local body elections. During this time, all government offices, boards, corporations, educational institutions, and other government establishments of the Punjab government, including Chandigarh, will remain closed. In addition, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has also announced a special casual holiday on May 26 for all its officers and employees.

Campaign concluded in just 5-6 days
These local body elections, held just before the upcoming assembly elections, are being considered a litmus test of the political mood of urban voters. It is worth noting that the Punjab State Election Commission announced these elections on May 11. After the nomination withdrawal process on May 19, candidates only got 5-6 days for campaigning. During this period, not just the candidates, but the stalwarts of political parties also put in their full efforts.

Results will be the report card of MLAs and ministers’ performance
It should be noted that the ruling ‘AAP’ MLAs and ministers put in their full effort in campaigning today, because the results of these elections will determine the report card of their performance. Along with this, these elections will also clearly show the graph of the BJP, which has entered the electoral field very aggressively this time. According to the guidelines of the State Election Commission, there will be a complete ban on displaying any kind of campaign material around polling stations.

Akali Dal demands extension of voting hours
Shiromani Akali Dal has requested the State Election Commission to extend the voting time. Akali leader Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said that the voting time should be increased from 8 AM to 5 PM to 7 AM to 6 PM. Cheema said that the state is currently experiencing intense heat, which could affect the voting percentage.

If the voting time in the morning and evening is increased by two hours, it will lead to an increase in the voting percentage. The current timing is also not suitable for workers because they will not be able to exercise their right to vote due to work.