Punjab polls: EC team to visit this month, election dates likely in first week of January
Election dates likely in first week of January 2027, voting in late Feb-early March. Current govt term ends March 16, 2027. Model Code of Conduct to be imposed soon.
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Political activity has intensified in Punjab for the 2027 assembly elections. The Election Commission has also increased its activities in preparation for the elections. The Chief Election Commissioner is expected to visit Punjab in the last week of November. During this visit, the Commission's team will review the election preparations, security arrangements, and administrative arrangements in the state.
According to reports, after completing the review of all five electoral states by the last week of December, the Election Commission is expected to announce the dates for assembly elections in Punjab and other states in the first week of January 2027. Therefore, voting in Punjab is expected to take place in the last week of February or early March.
The current government's term is till March 16, 2027
The current government and Chief Minister's term in Punjab ends on March 16, 2027. Therefore, the Election Commission must complete the entire assembly election process before then. With the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct will come into effect in the state, and political parties will intensify their election activities.
The code of conduct was imposed 24 days after the commission's visit in 2022
Looking back at the events of the last assembly elections, in December 2021, the Election Commission team visited Punjab on December 15 and 16. Approximately 24 days later, on January 8, 2022, the Model Code of Conduct came into effect with the announcement of the election schedule.
At that time, voting took place in Punjab on February 20, 2022, while the election results were declared on March 10.
Teams of officers have already visited
Ahead of the Chief Election Commissioner's proposed visit, teams of senior Commission officials visited Punjab on October 27 and 28. These teams reviewed the state's election preparations and assessed various administrative and security aspects. The officials have submitted their report to the Election Commissioner.
Political parties are now closely watching the Chief Election Commissioner's visit and the Election Commission's upcoming review. It is believed that this will further accelerate the process of finalizing preparations for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.