Subhash Mahajan
Chamba
Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania today administered the oath of office to the newly elected Pradhans and Up-Pradhans of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Chamba district. The ceremony, held at the historic Chaugan ground, witnessed the representatives pledging true faith and allegiance to the Constitution and committing to discharge their duties with honesty and impartiality.
Congratulating the new leaders, Speaker Pathania emphasized that Panchayati Raj Institutions are the fundamental units of democracy. He reminded the representatives of their responsibility to work with equal commitment for the development and welfare of all sections of society. He expressed confidence that the newly elected members would serve with dedication and help advance the district’s developmental progress. He further assured that adequate resources are being provided through government schemes and that the administration and legislators will extend full cooperation to accelerate rural development.
MLA Neeraj Nayyar also addressed the gathering, stressing the importance of quality in development works and the creation of durable assets in villages. He urged the representatives to prioritize the upliftment of weaker and marginalized sections of society and to carry forward public welfare initiatives with fairness.
The event was attended by MLAs Dr. Janak Raj and D.S. Thakur, District Agricultural Produce and Marketing Committee Chairman Lalit Thakur, Haj Committee Chairman Dildar Ali Watt, State Transport Corporation Board Member and District Congress Committee President Surjit Bharmauri, State Congress General Secretary Yashwant Khanna, Rajiv Kaushal, Kewal Singh Thakur, Acting Deputy Commissioner Amit Mehra, Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar Saklani, Assistant Commissioner Manmohan Singh, along with senior officials from various departments.
Election Snapshot:
- Chamba district comprises 7 development blocks with 319 Gram Panchayats.
- Elections were held for 638 posts (Pradhan and Up-Pradhan), along with 7 Panchayat Samitis, 135 Panchayat Samiti wards, 18 Zila Parishad wards, and 1,791 Gram Panchayat wards — totaling 2,581 positions.
- Around 8,000 valid candidates contested, with 412 representatives elected unopposed.
- Nearly 4,000 staff and 990 police/home guard personnel ensured smooth conduct of the polls.
- The district had 4,07,829 registered voters, including 2,06,570 men and 2,01,283 women.
- Block-wise Gram Panchayat count: Bharmaur (31), Bhatiyat (71), Chamba (47), Mehla (52), Pangi (19), Salooni (46), Tissa (53).
