Pindi gears up for LG polls

RAWALPINDI BUREAU —Preparations for local government elections in 125 union councils of Rawalpindi district have formally begun under the new Local Government Act 2025. Political parties have also decided to field their dedicated and long-serving workers, while a large number of independent groups and candidates have started preparing for the electoral contest.

The first phase of local government elections in Punjab will begin on February 7, 2027. However, uncertainty continues to surround the possibility of the elections actually being held, with serious doubts persisting over the electoral exercise. Under the new local government system, each union council will comprise 13 members.

The public will directly elect nine general members, or general councillors. The remaining four reserved seats - for women, farmers/labourers, youth and minorities - will be filled through a show of hands by the elected general members. The 13 members of each union council will jointly elect its chairman and vice chairman.

The public will not directly vote for either of the two positions. Under the new Local Government Act, Rawalpindi city has been divided into four administrative units comprising two municipal corporation towns and two tehsil councils. The city will now have two mayors and four deputy mayors.

The city has been divided into Rawal Municipal Town and Potohar Municipal Town. The number of union councils in Rawal Municipal Town has been reduced from 46 to 41, while those in Potohar Municipal Town have been decreased from 36 to 33. Overall, eight union councils have been reduced in the two municipal towns.

Rawalpindi Tehsil Council Saddar has been established as a new tehsil council with 22 union councils, while the second new administrative unit, Tehsil Council Rawalpindi Cantt, will have 29 union councils. Overall, the number of union councils in Rawalpindi district has been increased from 82 to 125.

Candidates belonging to the PML-N, PPP, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party and Pakistan Awami Tehreek have started entering the electoral arena. Candidates from different political parties have begun displaying their posters and banners on social media and in their respective constituencies, including outside barbershops, tandoors, grocery stores, milk and yoghurt shops, laundries and dhobi shops, as well as in streets.

PTI workers have also started preparing to enter the electoral contest. Traditional local government politicians across the city have begun opening their political gathering points and election offices. Rawalpindi is expected to become a hub of intense local government election activities from December next month.

The schedule for submission of nomination papers has also been prepared.