Punjab will go to the polls on December 14 to elect members of zila parishads and panchayat or block samitis through ballot papers, with more than 1.36 crore voters in rural areas exercising their franchise on that day.Notification for the polls was issued on November 28, and candidates got a fortnight to file nominations and campaign.Elections will now be held for 2,682 block samitis, where 8314 candidates are in fray, and for 342 zila parishad seats where 1,265 candidates are in the fray. In total, 196 candidates across both tiers have been declared elected unopposed, while 9,579 remain in contention.The counting of votes is scheduled for December 17.Here is an explainer on what these bodies are, how they function and more:What is a zila parishad, and how are its zones decided?A zila parishad is the district-level institution in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system that oversees development planning, rural schemes, and supervision of block samitis and gram panchayats.A “zone” of a zila parishad is the constituency that elects one member. These zones are created based on population, ensuring that each constituency represents an almost equal number of people. Villages are grouped accordingly.Story continues below this adTypically, a zila parishad zone has about 15 to 20 villages, though this varies with population. After the election, a chairman is chosen from the political party that wins the most seats.What is a panchayat samiti? How is its zone determined?A panchayat samiti functions at the block or sub-district level and coordinates welfare and development work for all villages within the block. Its constituencies are also determined using a population-based quota. Villages are clustered to meet this population requirement.In most parts of Punjab, three to four villages generally form one panchayat samiti constituency, though the exact number depends on local demographic distribution.Story continues below this adHow many zila parishad and panchayat samiti seats are part of the upcoming elections?Punjab has 23 zila parishads with 357 constituencies. Elections are being held in 342 of these, as 15 candidates — 12 in Tarn Taran and three in Amritsar — have already been elected unopposed (all from AAP), with as many as 1,265 candidates contesting the remaining seats.At the block level, 154 panchayat samitis account for 2,863 constituencies. Of these, 181 candidates have been elected unopposed: 98 in Tarn Taran, 63 in Amritsar, 17 in Hoshiarpur, two in Malerkotla, and one in SBS Nagar. Apart from the lone independent in SBS Nagar, all are from the ruling AAP.How many voters will participate?As many as 1,36,04,650 voters are eligible to vote in these rural polls. The electorate includes 71,64,724 men, 64,39,497 women and 181 transgender voters. To facilitate polling, 19,181 booths will be set up in rural areas across the state.What is the expenditure limit for candidates?Story continues below this adAccording to the Punjab State Election Commission, a zila parishad candidate may spend up to ₹2.55 lakh, while a panchayat samite candidate may spend up to ₹1.10 lakh.What are the major sources of funds for zila parishads and panchayat samitis?These rural bodies draw their funds from both the Centre and state governments. From the Centre, they receive Fifteenth Finance Commission grants, including tied and untied components for drinking water, sanitation and basic infrastructure.They also handle or coordinate centrally sponsored schemes such as MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojana (Gramin), PM Gram Sadak Yojana, NRLM, Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), and other rural programmes.Story continues below this adState governments provide State Finance Commission grants, state plan allocations, and funds linked to state schemes in sectors such as rural infrastructure, education, health, irrigation, and welfare. States may additionally share a portion of certain taxes or cesses with these bodies, and special project-based funds may be routed through district-level agencies.Are there any award-winning zila parishads in Punjab?Ludhiana Zila Parishad, led by Manpreet Singh Ayali during his tenure as chairman from 2007 to 2013, received the Best Zila Parishad National Award on April 24, 2013.The award, presented by then Union minister Jairam Ramesh in the presence of then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, recognised the work of Ludhiana rural areas, including green belts, sports infrastructure, and waste management, setting a benchmark for other districts.Ayali is now a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA, and represents the Dakha constituency in the Ludhiana district.Story continues below this adIn 2021, Gurdaspur Zila Parishad received the National Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Panchayat Empowerment Award from the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj for outstanding performance.Several panchayat samitis have also won national awards in different years.