Punjab's local body elections began smoothly on Sunday, December 14, 2025. Voting started at 8 a.m. for zila parishad and panchayat samiti seats. Officials reported a voter turnout of eight per cent till 10 a.m. The polls will remain open till 4 p.m. Vote counting is scheduled for December 17. Voters are choosing members from 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis. More than 9,000 candidates are in the race. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urged voters on X to "come out in large numbers to cast their ballot." Top leaders including Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian voted early. Many elderly and women voters arrived at polling stations in the morning. There are 18,224 polling stations across rural Punjab, with 860 hyper-sensitive and 3,405 sensitive locations. Around 44,000 police personnel are deployed to ensure free and fair elections. The State Election Commission has appointed election and police observers to keep the process transparent. Candidates from all major parties—Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and BJP—are contesting on party symbols. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party campaigned highlighting Chief Minister Mann's government achievements, while opposition parties accused the government of misusing power to block their candidates' nominations.