The Punjab government has informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) that the upcoming Punjab local government elections will be conducted on a party basis, with political parties allowed to issue official tickets to their candidates — a move that could significantly reshape grassroots politics in the province.
The assurance was given on Monday during the hearing of several petitions challenging the Punjab Local Government Act 2025. Appearing before Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed, Punjab’s assistant advocate general told the court that the local government department has already submitted its detailed report to the LHC, clearly stating that elections will be party-based.
This clarification comes against the backdrop of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) October decision to hold Punjab local government elections under the newly enacted Punjab Local Government Act, 2025.
During the hearing, counsel for petitioner Sheikh Imtiaz requested the court to formally include the assistant advocate general’s statement on party-based elections into the official court record. The request was noted by the bench.
Representing the ECP, Director General Law Khurram Shahzad informed the court that the election body had written nearly 80 letters to the Punjab government over the past four years, urging timely arrangements for local government polls.
“We are bound to conduct elections under whichever law the government enacts,” Shahzad told the court, emphasizing that the ECP’s role is limited to implementing the legal framework provided by the provincial government.
He further revealed that the Punjab government has given January 10 as the deadline for making necessary arrangements for the elections.
The petitions before the court argue that amendments made to the Punjab Local Government Act 2017 led to non-party-based local government elections. According to the petitioners, this system weakens democratic values by limiting political representation and voter choice at the grassroots level.
The fresh assurance by the provincial government that elections will now be held on a party basis appears to address these concerns, at least partially.
