Zirakpur Sees 259 Nominations on Final Poll Day

Mohali district election officials said 1,175 candidates filed nomination papers by the May 16 deadline for Punjab’s urban local body elections in Mohali, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi, Nayagaon, Lalru, Kurali and Banur. The filings came on the last day of nominations under the State Election Commission’s schedule for the 2026 municipal elections. (tribuneindia.com) Tribune India and Hindustan Times both reported heavy candidate turnout across the district, with party workers and supporters gathering at filing centers through the day. Zirakpur stood out within that district-wide rush. (tribuneindia.com) Hindustan Times reported that Municipal Council Zirakpur received 259 nomination papers, more than Dera Bassi’s 162, Nayagaon’s 144, Lalru’s 131, Kurali’s 99 and Banur’s 56. Mohali Municipal Corporation, which is a larger body, recorded 324 nominations overall, according to the same report. (msn.com) ### Why did Zirakpur draw so many nomination papers? Zirakpur’s 259 nominations made it the busiest municipal council in Mohali district on the final filing day, according to district-level tallies published by Tribune India and Hindustan Times. That count placed Zirakpur ahead of every other council in the district, though behind the Mohali Municipal Corporation total. (tribuneindia.com) Political parties were visibly active at nomination centers across the district. Hindustan Times said candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal arrived with senior leaders, drumbeats and sloganeering, underscoring the level of organization and competition around the filings. (hindustantimes.com) ### Which named candidates made the filings notable? Baljit Kaur Dhaliwal, the acting Punjab Mahila Congress president, filed her nomination from ward No. 37, Tribune India reported. Her filing gave the Zirakpur contest a higher-profile Congress face on the last day. (tribuneindia.com) Other named candidates highlighted in district coverage were concentrated in Mohali city rather than Zirakpur. Tribune India reported that Paramjit Singh Samana, son of Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh, filed his nomination, while Kanwardeep Singh Ruby, son of former health minister Balbir Sidhu, filed from ward No. 10. The same report said rebel Congress leader Gagandeep Singh Dhaliwal also filed from ward No. 10, and Balraj Kaur Dhaliwal filed from ward No. 33. (hindustantimes.com) ### What happened elsewhere in the district on nomination day? Kharar saw confusion on May 16 after more than 100 candidates gathered to file papers even though the Punjab and Haryana High Court had deferred the Kharar Municipal Council poll, Tribune India reported. The newspaper said around 103 nominations were filed there by 3 p.m. because, according to the report, no written order from the Election Commission or the court had been received before officials began accepting papers. (tribuneindia.com) Mohali district’s election machinery also moved into the next stage on the same day. Hindustan Times reported that the State Election Commission appointed 2015-batch IAS officer Abhijeet Kaplish, now director of mines and geology, Punjab, as election observer for the district. (tribuneindia.com) ### What is the official election timetable from here? The Punjab State Election Commission’s municipal election notification fixed May 13 as the first day for filing nominations and May 16 as the last day. The same notification fixed poll hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 26. Scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for May 18, and candidates can withdraw until May 19, according to district election coverage and the published election schedule. (tribuneindia.com) Counting of votes is scheduled for May 29. ### Where can voters and candidates track the process? The Punjab State Election Commission website lists the 2026 municipal election schedule and returning officers for municipalities across the state. The commission said it has responsibility for the conduct of municipal elections in Punjab under the Constitution and state election law. (hindustantimes.com) May 18 is the next formal checkpoint in Zirakpur and the rest of Mohali district, when returning officers will scrutinize the nomination papers filed by candidates. May 19 is the deadline for withdrawals, with voting set for May 26 and counting on May 29 under the commission’s notified programme. (sec.punjab.gov.in) (sec.punjab.gov.in) (msn.com)