Punjab local government elections: ECP rejects April 2027 plan, orders schedule issued immediately

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday 15 October rejected the Punjab government's proposal to hold local government elections in April 2027 and decided to issue the election schedule immediately, Dawn reported. The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, called the province's reply "unsatisfactory". The Express Tribune reported the same decision.

What Punjab asked for

In a reply sent on Wednesday 14 October, the Punjab government proposed polls in three phases on Sundays 4, 11 and 18 April 2027. Its reasons:

• smog, dense fog and harsh weather in December and January;
• Ramazan starting in February;
• easier deployment of staff and security, and transport of polling material, if the province votes in phases.

The cabinet also wanted the split of districts between phases agreed with the ECP in a separate meeting.

What the ECP ordered

• Its office must immediately present a draft election programme for Punjab for the commission's approval.
• The Punjab government must hand over lists of officers to serve as district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers within one week. The ECP said it was disappointed the lists had not already been provided.

Earlier in October the ECP had proposed 14 December 2026 as polling day and sent a draft schedule to the chief secretary on 2 October. The commission says that at a consultation that ended on 20 August, the province had agreed to polls between 15 December 2026 and 15 January 2027. On 6 August the Punjab cabinet approved Rs 12.5 billion for the elections.

Why it has taken so long

Article 140A of the Constitution and the Elections Act require local government polls within 120 days of councils' terms ending. Punjab's councils, elected in 2015, were dissolved by the PTI government in 2019, restored by the Supreme Court, and completed their term on 31 December 2021, so elections were due by April 2022. Repeated amendments to and replacements of the Punjab Local Government Act forced the ECP to restart its preparations each time.

What it means for voters in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and the rest of Punjab

No polling date is final until the ECP publishes the schedule, which sets the dates for nomination papers, scrutiny, withdrawals and polling. Check that your vote is registered at your current address by sending your CNIC number to 8300, and make sure your CNIC is valid: our NADRA fee calculator shows what a renewal costs. Elsewhere, Gilgit-Baltistan has fixed 5 December for its municipal corporation polls.