According to a media report, Election Commission of the region was mulling the proposal for holding of local body polls in the region during the month of May 2025 and if the local body polls could not be held due to any reason in the month of May, then the local body polls would be held with the general election of the region, which would be held in the month of October 2025. As per report, Assembly of the region was expected to be dissolved in the month of June 2025 and in case of the dissolution of the Assembly, general elections of the region would be held after the period of three months and local body polls would also be held with the general election of the region. Media report further claimed that Gilgit Municipal Corporations limit would be extended to the Minawar village of Tehsil Gilgit and general seats of the GilgitMeniscalCorporation would also be increased.
According to the provisions of “Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Order-2018, the term of regional Assembly has been fixed for five year un-less dissolved earlier and incumbent Assembly of the area would complete its five year term in the month of November 2025 as the previous general elections of the area were held in the month of November 2020. Now according to a media report, incumbent Assembly of the region was expected to be dissolved during the month of June 2025 and next general elections of the region would be held in the month of October 2025. Likewise, Election Commission of the region was mulling the proposal to conduct the local body polls in the region during the month of May 2025 as there was consensus amongst the stake-holders in this regard and if the local body polls could not be held in the month of May 2025 due to any reason, then the local body polls would also be held with the general elections of the region with the general elections of the region expected to be held in the month of October 2025, which seems to be feasible. It may be pertinent to mention here that local body polls were not held after the completion of tenure of the local body institutions of the region during the year 2009 and governments which were established in the region after the introduction of Self-Governance Order-2009 could not be able to conduct the local body polls in the region as well as to devolved the powers at gross root level. If the dissolution of regional Assembly during the month of June 2025 was agreed between the political parties and other stake-holders, holding of local body polls in the month of May 2025 would be amounting to wastage of money from the government exchequer and local body polls could be delayed for a period of three month till the holding of general elections in the month of October 2025and both the bolls could be held together like the polls of National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies of the country and by adopting this method, a huge amount could be saved from the national exchequer.
It would be appropriate for the government of the region and other stake-holders that local body polls of the region may be delayed and said polls would be held with the general elections of the region during the month of October 2025.
