Himachal Panchayat Polls: Phase 1 ends peacefully with 78% turnout

The first phase of Panchayati Raj Institution elections in Himachal Pradesh concluded peacefully with a high voter turnout of around 78% across 1,293 gram panchayats, surpassing the polling percentage recorded during the 2021 elections.

The first phase of the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) elections in Himachal Pradesh concluded peacefully on Tuesday with an impressive voter turnout of around 78 per cent across 1,293 gram panchayats, reflecting strong participation in the grassroots democratic process across the hill state.

According to the State Election Commission, polling was conducted through ballot boxes from 7 AM to 3 PM, and the final turnout figure is expected to increase further after the receipt of complete reports from all districts. The Commission had issued the election notification on April 29 for filling 31,182 posts in various Panchayati Raj institutions. Out of 86,204 candidates who filed nominations, as many as 10,854 candidates were elected unopposed following scrutiny and withdrawal of nominations. These included 10,307 gram panchayat ward members, 286 up-pradhans, 176 pradhans and 85 panchayat samiti members.

High Voter Turnout Across Districts

The turnout surpassed the first phase polling percentage recorded during the 2021 Panchayat elections, when nearly 77 per cent voting was reported in 1,228 gram panchayats.

District-wise polling figures showed that Kullu recorded the highest turnout at nearly 84 per cent, followed by Sirmaur with 82 per cent and Solan with 81 per cent. Shimla registered around 80 per cent polling, while Lahaul and Spiti reported the lowest turnout at approximately 69 per cent.

More than 14.25 lakh votes were polled out of a total electorate of over 18.22 lakh voters across the state. Kangra, which has the highest number of voters among all districts, recorded around 75 per cent polling, while Hamirpur registered nearly 73 per cent turnout.

At the grassroots level, Kunair-Dhamaun gram panchayat under Kamrau development block in Sirmaur district emerged as the highest polling panchayat with nearly 97 per cent voter turnout.

In another significant development, the Election Commission established a special auxiliary polling station for the remote Bara Bhangal gram panchayat in Kangra district, enabling all 101 registered voters there to cast their votes successfully.

Women Voters Play a Decisive Role

Women voters played a decisive role during the polling exercise, outnumbering male voters in 10 out of the state's 12 districts. Kullu district recorded the highest participation among women voters at nearly 85 per cent, indicating increasing political awareness and active participation of women in local governance.

Polling Issues and Rescheduling

Despite the largely peaceful polling process, voting was adjourned or cancelled in a few wards due to technical and unforeseen reasons. In the Chamba district, polling for the ward member post in Ward No. 3-Deela of Chamba gram panchayat was countermanded following the death of a contesting candidate.

In Mandi district, polling for the Panchayat Samiti member seat in Ward No. 12 (Mehndi), covering Thach-Tharmi and Parlog panchayats, was suspended after a candidate's name was found missing from the ballot paper. The Election Commission has rescheduled voting in the ward for May 28.

Similarly, in Shimla district, polling in Ward No. 1 (Brandli-1) of Narain gram panchayat under Rampur block was cancelled after officials mistakenly used a NOTA stamp along with the authorised Swastika symbol stamp. Fresh polling in the ward will now be held on May 30.

Vote Counting and Results

State Election Commission Secretary Surjit Singh Rathore said counting for the posts of gram panchayat pradhans, up-pradhans and ward members began immediately after polling and results are expected late Tuesday night. The counting of votes for the 250 Zila Parishad wards and 1,684 Panchayat Samiti wards will take place on May 31, when the final results for higher-tier local bodies will be announced.

The State Election Commission expressed gratitude to district administrations, security personnel, polling staff and voters for ensuring the smooth and peaceful conduct of the first phase of the Panchayat elections across the state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)