Panchayat elections in Himachal Pradesh sees 77% turnout; women surpass men
Nearly 77 per cent polling was recorded during the second phase of the Himachal Pradesh rural body elections for 1,276 panchayats on Thursday, with women voters surpassing men in turnout in nine out of 12 districts.
“Around 76.90 percent polling has been reported till 3 pm and the percentage is likely to increase as polling is still underway at some places, and details of more than 300 booths are yet to be uploaded”, State Chief Election Commissioner Anil Khachi said.
The polling was peaceful and no untoward incidents have been reported so far from any part of the state, he added.
Sirmaur district reported maximum polling till 3 pm at 84.08 per cent, while Lahaul-Spiti reported the lowest turnout at 69.38 per cent. The voting percentages for female and male electors stood at 80.03 per cent and 73.85 per cent, respectively.
Villagers in Ward No 1 of Kangri under Ree Gram Panchayat in Hamirpur district boycotted the panchayat elections, citing years of stalled development work and the failure to resolve several pending issues.
Around 288 voters from Ward No 1 had issued an ultimatum to the authorities prior to the announcement of polling dates, saying they would boycott the rural body elections if their demands remained unmet.
Their primary demand is that Kangri village (Ward No 1) be de-linked from Ree Gram Panchayat and merged with the Khayah-Lohkhariyan Panchayat, or alternatively, a separate Panchayat be constituted specifically for their area, as they are compelled to undertake a 25-km journey to reach the Panchayat Bhawan.
On Thursday, not a single person from the ward turned up to vote.
A former ward member said owing to the absence of facilities in the ward, all villagers unanimously decided not to cast their votes. The villagers would not participate in any future elections until their demands are accepted.
Former Union minister and Hamirpur BJP MP Anurag Thakur, accompanied by family members, arrived at the polling booth in Samirpur panchayat to cast his vote in the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj elections, asserting that the trends are heavily in favour of the BJP.
Thakur said people are using their franchise in the panchayat polls to vent their anger against the Congress Government in the state.
Appealing to people to participate enthusiastically in the elections, he said Panchayati Raj holds immense significance in a democracy, with 50 per cent seats reserved for women.
He also expressed hope that the newly-elected representatives would write a new chapter of development.
Polling commenced at 7 am with long queues, comprising first-time voters as well as senior citizens, outside booths.
Sarita, a first-time voter in the Dhawahan panchayat in Mandi district, said, “I voted for development. There is a need for a library in the village so that students can study and do well in life. The condition of roads is also bad.”
A total of 17,30,300 voters, including 8,55,597 women, 8,74,416 men and 17 belonging to the third gender, are eligible to exercise their franchise.
Voting for 1,293 panchayats in the first phase was held on Tuesday, recording a turnout of 78.90 per cent. Polling for the remaining 1,274 panchayats in the third and final phase will be held on May 30.
The counting of votes is being taken up immediately after polling, except for block samiti and zila parishad members and the four municipal corporations, for which results will be announced on May 31.
Elections for Ward No 2 in Samwal panchayat in Chamba district, which was postponed due to rule violations by some officials, will be held on May 30, Surjit Singh Rathore, Secretary, State Election Commission, said.
As many as 10,854 office-bearers have been elected unopposed in the panchayat polls.
The elections are being held using colour-coded ballot papers -- white forward members, yellow for ‘up-pradhans’, green for pradhans, pink for panchayat samiti members and blue for zila parishad members.
Around 50.89 lakh voters are eligible to vote in the three-phase polls to elect 31,182 public representatives, 3,754 pradhans, 3,754 ‘up-pradhans’, 21,654 ward members, 1,769 panchayat samiti members and 251 zila parishad members.
