Shimla, May 30 (PTI) Women emerged as the driving force in the final phase of panchayat elections in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, outnumbering men at polling booths across nine districts as overall turnout hit 81 per cent despite rain and stormy weather in several parts.
After casting his vote in his native Vijaypur village in Bilaspur district, Union Minister JP Nadda said he felt privileged to vote there and participate directly in the democratic process at the grassroots level.
Strength of democracy lies in the active participation of its citizens and democracy flourishes when people actively engage in decision-making through voting and civic participation, the former BJP national president said.
Women outpolled men in nine out of the state’s 12 districts, recording a turnout of 83.64 per cent against 77.77 per cent among male voters — a gap of about six per cent.
Polling began at 7 am and concluded at 3 pm. The overall voter turnout was 81 per cent.
The highest turnout of 95 per cent was reported in Batgarh gram panchayat of Sirmaur’s Dadahu development block, followed by 84.66 per cent in Kullu, 83.84 per cent in Solan, 82.96 per cent in Shimla, 82.08 per cent in Mandi.
Chamba recorded 81.79 per cent voter turnout, Kinnaur 79.67, Una 78.60 per cent, Bilaspur 78.66 per cent, Kangra 77.29 per cent, and Hamirpur 76.52 percent.
Lahaul and Spiti district recorded the lowest turnout at 71.05 per cent, according to official data. No untoward incident has been reported so far.
Election Officer Sanjeev Mahajan on Saturday said that a total of 15,40,324 voters were eligible to exercise their franchise across 1,189 gram panchayats.
The elections are being held through ballot papers and not on party symbols.
In the first phase, held on May 26, a voter turnout of 78.90 per cent was recorded across 1,293 panchayats, while 79.88 per cent of voters cast their ballots in 1,276 panchayats during the second phase on May 28.
A total of 10,854 office-bearers have already been elected unopposed.
Nadda said, “Panchayati Raj institutions form the foundation of India’s democratic structure and play a crucial role in rural development and local governance and therefore, active participation in these elections is essential for ensuring effective and representative leadership at the grassroots level.” He urged every eligible voter to exercise their right to vote, emphasising that voting is not only a constitutional right but also a fundamental responsibility towards the nation and society.
According to officials of the State Election Department, results for gram panchayats, pradhans, and up-pradhans will be declared on Saturday, while those for panchayat samiti and zila parishad members will be announced on May 31.
The ballot papers are colour-coded: white for ward members, yellow for up-pradhans, green for pradhans, pink for panchayat samiti members and blue for zila parishad members.
Overall, around 50.89 lakh voters will elect 31,182 representatives in the three-phase elections, including 3,754 pradhans, 3,754 up-pradhans, 21,654 ward members, 1,769 panchayat samiti members and 251 zila parishad members.
The Shimla Met office had forecast a wet spell in the state till June 4. PTI BPL NB NB
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