Voting commenced at 7 am and concluded smoothly at 3 pm, despite a ‘yellow’ alert for heatwave conditions affecting Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Solan, and Sirmaur districts.
As per data from the State Election Commission, 78.55% of voters participated by 3 pm. Notably, women outnumbered men in 10 out of 12 districts.
The figures indicated that 81.76% of women attended polling stations, compared to 75.43% of men.
Kullu district recorded the highest turnout at 84.43%, followed by Sirmaur at 82.57%, Solan at 81.06%, and Chamba at 80.53%. Shimla had a voter turnout of 79.80%, Mandi 79.39%, Una 78.76%, Bilaspur 77.39%, Kangra 75.75%, Hamirpur 73.05%, and Kinnaur 73.59%.
Lahaul and Spiti district saw the lowest turnout at 69.40%, according to official data.
Kunar-dhoman gram panchayat in Sirmaur district recorded an impressive 97% voter turnout. However, in Maindi, a ward of Karsog in Mandi district, voting for a panchayat samiti was canceled due to a candidate’s name missing from the ballot.
With approximately 2,500 voters in the ward, one candidate, Hoshiyar Singh, was omitted from the list, prompting an official inquiry.
Additionally, elections were postponed in ward number 3 of Chambi panchayat in Chamba following the death of a candidate. Polls were also halted in ward number 1 of Brandhli in Naren gram panchayat in Rampur, Shimla district, due to the use of a NOTA stamp on the ballot.
“The polling was conducted peacefully throughout the state. Voting for a panchayat samiti will be rescheduled in one ward of Mandi due to a missing name from the candidate list,” said State Chief Election Commissioner Anil Khachi to PTI.
In Bilaspur district, 113-year-old Manglu Devi cast her vote at the ‘Pink Booth’ established within the Seu Gram Panchayat, located in the Ghumarwin development block.
A resident of Bhadrog village, Manglu Devi attended the polling station with her family to participate. She is among the oldest women to vote in these elections.
District Election Officer (Panchayat) and Deputy Commissioner of Bilaspur, Rahul Kumar, praised her spirit, noting that her contribution to this “festival of democracy” would motivate other voters and inspire the youth.
The initiative showcased women’s empowerment at Ghanghal Panchayat in the Dhanotu Development Block of Mandi district, where the election process was overseen entirely by female officials, not just at a single ‘women-only polling booth’ but across all polling stations in the panchayat.
Women staff managed all five voting locations within the panchayat, ensuring a smooth and orderly election day, as stated by Sub-divisional Magistrate Smritika Negi.
The aim of this initiative is to promote women’s leadership and administrative roles, she added.
Following the success in Ghanghal Panchayat, this all-female team will also oversee all five polling stations in Chowk Panchayat for the upcoming voting phase, scheduled for May 28.
More than 16.5 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in this initial phase. Over 9,000 candidates are contesting for the roles of gram panchayat members, pradhans, up-pradhans, panchayat samiti members, and zila parishad members.
The elections are being conducted with color-coded ballot papers – white for ward members, yellow for up-pradhans, green for pradhans, pink for panchayat samiti members, and blue for zila parishad members.
The State Election Commission reported that counting for gram panchayat members, pradhans, and up-pradhans has begun, with results scheduled for today, while those for panchayat samiti and zila parishad positions will be revealed on May 31.
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Approximately 50.89 lakh voters are eligible to participate in the three-phase elections.
They will 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.
A total of 10,854 candidates have already been elected unopposed. Polling for the second and third phases will occur on May 28 and May 30, respectively.
