LAHORE: The Punjab government is considering a plan to declare each union council a single constituency for local government polls, and introduce indirect election for reserved seats.

Under the Local Government Act 2013, in its existing form, each UC has six wards and each ward has six seats --- chairman, vice-chairman, besides one seat each for youth, peasant, minority and general member.

Election on all these seats is direct. But there are six ballot papers in a ward -- one for chairman, vice-chairman and one each for peasant, youth, minority and general member.

Women have been given two seats in a UC, each representing half of the council.

Officials told Dawn on Tuesday that the government was considering to change this scheme. It now wanted to turn a UC into a multi-member ward, he added.

Under the new scheme being considered, direct election would be held only against general seats. Those six candidates obtaining highest votes would stand elected. There would be indirect election on all the reserved seats.

Sources said if approved, the new scheme of election would be introduced by amending the LG Act.

They said it would make it easy for the election commission to hold the poll by eliminating the existing requirement of printing six ballot papers for as many wards in a UC.

It would also make it easier for the voters to take part in the election.

The sources said that after amendment in the law, the election commission would merely notify UCs’ demarcation.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2015

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