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Code of conduct for LG polls issued : Visit of dignitaries banned in constituenciesLAHORE: The Provincial Election Commission Punjab, while issuing a code of conduct for municipal elections, on Friday imposed ban on Friday on public representatives and officials from visiting the local government constituencies.
The Code of Conduct was issued by the Provincial Election Commissioner Mehboob Anwar during a press briefing at his office on Friday.
According to the new code, elected representative including prime minister, chief minister, speaker, deputy speaker, federal or provincial ministers and advisers, members of the provincial or national assemblies as well any government official could not make any visit to local government constituencies.
Till the polling of the local government elections, any kind of announcement of new development projects in the localities while the expenditure limits for candidates during their election campaigns have also been fixed in the new code of conduct.
Under the new expenditure limits, contestants of the mayor and deputy mayor seats in metropolitan corporation and the municipal corporations would only be able to spend Rs 0.2 million while the candidates of chairman and deputy chairman in union councils could use expenses of up to Rs 0.1 million only.
While, the councillors on general seats could spend only Rs 30,000 for their election campaigns and the district council chairman and vice-chairman could spend only Rs 50,000 as per limits fixed in the Code of Conduct for the candidates.
The candidates contesting local government elections on reserved seats in union councils, district councils, municipal corporations and metropolitan corporations would only spent Rs 20,000 for their election campaign.
During the briefing, the provincial election commissioner Mehboob Anwar while informing the journalists about the composition of local government according to the newly amended Local Government Act 2013 for Punjab said that the commission was going to conduct elections in one Metropolitan Corporation, 11 Municipal Corporations, 35 District Councils, 172 Municipal Committees and 4028 Union Councils.
He told the media persons that for each constituency exclusive ballot papers shall be printed bearing the names and symbols of the candidates. It was also informed that the printing of Ballot papers shall commence after issuance of final list of “contesting candidates” by the returning officers.
He further stated that there are 36 district returning officers, 691 returning officers, 707 assistant returning officers for the conduct of local government elections in Punjab, adding that there are 143 appellate authorities established in the province for timely disposal of appeals regarding acceptance and rejection of nomination papers.
Mehboob informed about the candidature fee and limit of expenses for contesting candidates. He added that a candidate, who had submitted the candidature fee during election schedule issued earlier, was not required to submit the fee again.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk