Munish Sood
Mandi
The State Election Commission has announced elections to Panchayati Raj institutions in Himachal Pradesh, setting the stage for a three-phase polling exercise across rural areas. Voting will be held on May 26, 28, and 30 for a total of 31,182 posts in 3,754 gram panchayats, with the Model Code of Conduct coming into immediate effect.
State Election Commissioner Anil Khachi said that over 5.079 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the upcoming elections. The polls will see the election of 21,654 ward members, 1,769 panchayat samiti members, and 251 zila parishad members.
The nomination process will take place on May 7, 8, and 11, followed by scrutiny of papers on May 12. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations on May 14 and 15.
Counting for the posts of gram panchayat pradhan, up-pradhan, and ward members will be conducted on the same day at respective panchayat headquarters immediately after polling concludes. Votes for panchayat samiti and zila parishad members will be counted on May 31.
Out of the total 31,182 posts, 15,656 have been reserved for women, marking a significant push towards grassroots-level gender representation. Elections will not be held in four panchayats of Kullu district, while the rest of the state will go to polls as scheduled.
The State Election Commission has directed all district election authorities to ensure that the entire process is conducted in a free, fair, and peaceful manner, with administrative preparations already underway across the state.
