Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 28 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh witnessed enthusiastic participation in the second phase of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) elections on Thursday, with nearly 80 per cent voter turnout recorded across 1,276 Gram Panchayats in the state.
Polling remained peaceful throughout the day and was conducted through ballot papers and ballot boxes from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Long queues of voters, including first-time voters, women and senior citizens, were seen outside polling booths since early morning. According to the State Election Commission, around 21.36 per cent of voting was recorded within the first two hours of polling.
State Election Commissioner Anil Kumar Khachi said that polling in the second phase was “almost 80 per cent” and passed off peacefully. The turnout surpassed the voting percentage recorded during the second phase of the 2021 PRI elections, when nearly 76 per cent of the polling was registered in 1,208 Gram Panchayats.
A total of 17.30 lakh voters were eligible to cast their votes in this phase, including 8,74,416 men, 8,55,597 women and 17 third-gender voters. Around 13.74 lakh electors exercised their franchise during the day.
Women voters played a major role in the elections, with female turnout surpassing male turnout in nine out of the state’s twelve districts. As per the State Election Commission data, women registered an overall turnout of 82.76 per cent, which was 6.29 per cent higher than male turnout at 76.47 per cent.
Kullu district recorded the highest female voter turnout at nearly 86 per cent. However, men outnumbered women voters in Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla and Kinnaur districts. In Lahaul-Spiti, male turnout stood at 70.88 per cent against 67.88 per cent for women, while Shimla recorded 80.86 per cent male turnout compared to 80.35 per cent female turnout. In Kinnaur, male turnout was 76.44 per cent against 75.32 per cent for women.
Among districts, Kullu recorded the highest overall polling percentage at around 86 per cent, followed by Sirmaur at 85 per cent and Solan at 84 per cent. The tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti recorded the lowest turnout at around 69.38 per cent.
At the grassroots level, Dhela Gram Panchayat in Nalagarh Development Block of Solan district registered nearly 96 per cent polling, the highest in the state.
According to official data released by the State Election Commission, Bilaspur recorded 79 per cent turnout, Chamba 78 per cent, Hamirpur 75 per cent, Kangra 76 per cent, Kinnaur 76 per cent, Mandi and Shimla 81 per cent each, Solan 84 per cent and Una 80 per cent.
The ongoing Panchayati Raj elections are being conducted in three phases to elect 31,182 public representatives, including 3,754 Pradhans, 3,754 Up-Pradhans, 21,654 Ward Members, 1,769 Panchayat Samiti Members and 251 Zila Parishad Members. Officials said 10,854 candidates have already been elected unopposed.
The election authorities used colour-coded ballot papers for different posts to streamline the polling process. White ballot papers were used for Ward Members, yellow for Up-Pradhans, green for Pradhans, pink for Panchayat Samiti Members and blue for Zila Parishad Members.
The first phase of polling held on Tuesday covered 1,293 Gram Panchayats and recorded a turnout of 78.9 per cent. The third and final phase of polling for the remaining 1,274 Gram Panchayats is scheduled for May 30.
Counting of votes for the posts of Pradhan, Up-Pradhan and Ward Members began immediately after polling and results are expected to be declared late tonight. Counting for 250 Zila Parishad wards and 1,684 Panchayat Samiti wards will be conducted on May 31, and the results for these higher-tier bodies will also be announced the same day.
State Election Commission Secretary Surjit Singh Rathore said polling across the state remained peaceful. He also confirmed that polling for Ward Number 2 of Samwal Panchayat in Tissa Block of Chamba district, which had earlier been postponed due to violations by officials, will now be conducted on May 30.
Meanwhile, political reactions also emerged after polling. Former Union Minister and Hamirpur BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who cast his vote in Samirpur Panchayat along with family members, claimed that trends were heavily in favour of the BJP and expressed hope that the newly-elected representatives would usher in a new era of development.
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched a sharp attack on the Congress government, claiming that the PRI election trends indicated growing public support for the BJP. He alleged that the Congress had failed to fulfil its promises and asserted that the “countdown” for the state government had begun.
In Hamirpur district, 116-year-old Khadku Ram from Dashmal Panchayat cast his vote, drawing appreciation from local officials. Another elderly voter, 95-year-old Hari Singh from Lalpani Panchayat, walked nearly two kilometres to exercise his franchise.
However, in a rare protest, residents of Ward Number 1 of Ri Panchayat in Hamirpur district boycotted voting over alleged neglect and lack of development. Villagers demanded that their ward be either merged with another Panchayat or declared a separate Panchayat.
Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer Gandharva Rathore confirmed that no voting took place at the polling station in the ward. (ANI)