After receiving approval from the Haryana government, the State Election Commission has begun preparations for conducting the urban local body elections in the state. The elections will be held in two phases across 34 urban local bodies. In the first phase, elections will be held for three municipal corporations, three municipal councils, and 21 municipal committees, while the second phase will include elections for five municipal corporations, five municipal councils, and one municipal committee.
The State Election Commission has decided to conduct elections for three municipal corporations in the first phase—Gurugram, Faridabad, and Manesar. Manesar, being a newly created municipal corporation, will see its first-ever elections. In addition, the elections for mayoral by-polls will be held in the municipal corporations of Sonipat and Ambala, as the mayors of both cities have become legislators—Nikhil Madan from Sonipat and Shakti Rani Sharma from Ambala, who was elected from Kalka.
The three municipal councils where elections will take place in the first phase include Ambala Cantonment, Pataudi, and Sirsa. Furthermore, elections will be held in 21 municipal committees, including Barada, Bawani Khera, Loharu, Sivan, Farrukhnagar, Jakhal Mandi, Narnaund, Bheri, Julana, Kalayat, Pundri, Indri, Nilokheri, Ateli Mandi, Kanina, Tawdu, Hathin, Kalanaur, Kharkhoda, and Radaur. However, the case of Kalandiwali Municipal Committee is pending in court, so elections for this committee will be held in the second phase.
The State Election Commission aims to complete the first phase of elections before February 4. If there is any delay, the Commission will seek an extension from the Haryana High Court. In the second phase, elections will be held in five municipal corporations—Karnal, Panipat, Hisar, Rohtak, and Yamunanagar. The elections for Thaneesar and Kalandiwali municipal committees will also be conducted in the second phase.
Final voter lists for the first phase of the elections will be released on January 6. The voter lists will be based on the electoral rolls provided by the Election Commission of India up until September 12, 2024. From December 9 to 16, voter lists will be distributed to the wards, and they will be published on December 17. Claims and objections can be filed until December 23, and authorities will resolve them by December 27. The District Collector will address any appeals by December 31, and the final voter lists will be published on January 6.
The delay in the elections has been attributed to the late receipt of electoral rolls from the Election Commission of India, which were delayed due to the earlier Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Additionally, the reservation of wards and positions for mayors and heads of municipal councils contributed to the delay. The Election Commission is now set to announce the full schedule for the elections in the second week of January, with the first phase expected to be completed before February. The elections will be held through direct voting, using EVMs, for the positions of mayor and heads of the municipal councils and committees.
