Around 91 thousand residents of Shimla, the erstwhile capital city of Britishers, would cast their vote on Friday to send their elected representatives in the Shimla Municipal Corporation for next five years.
Deputy Commissioner and State Election Commissioner, Rohan Chand Thakur on Thursday said that all the preparations for the elections had been completed.
He said that 153 polling booths had been made for polling in 34 wards of the city. Polling will start at 8 am and conclude at 4 pm on Friday.
The district administration has declared 23 booths as hyper-sensitive and 56 booths as sensitive. Thakur said 1500 employees had been detailed to conduct the poll process.
He said the arrangements for the counting of votes have also been done. Administration has set up two counting centers for counting of votes on June 17. Counting of wards from 1 to 18 and 27 to 34 would be done in Bachat Bhawan in DC office.
SDM, Urban Hemis Negi would preside the process of counting there. The counting for wards from 19 to 26 will be done in DC Court room, where SDM, Rural Gyan Sagar Negi will preside.
As the Shimla Municipal Corporation has again returned to indirect election for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the polling will be conducted for election of 34 wards this time as the number of wards was increased from 25 to 34. While ruling Congress has fielded its candidates on 28 wards, the main opposition BJP is contesting the MC elections on all the wards.
The CPM, which had won the coveted posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the last direct elections in 2012, has fielded its candidates on 21 seats.
Riding on the Modi wave, BJP is trying to wrest the Shimla Municipal Corporation for the first time, ruling Congress has made sincere efforts particularly in the last three days, when Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh himself sweated while campaigning for the Congress supported candidates.
CPM, after a strong presence in the last MC house, is looking to improve its position.