Yog Raj Sharma, Rahul Chawla and Sachin Sharma
Shimla/Kullu/Manali, May 17
Voting for the urban local body elections commenced peacefully across Himachal Pradesh on Sunday morning, with voters lining up early at polling booths in municipal corporations, municipal councils, and nagar panchayats.
Polling began at 7 AM and will continue till 3 PM. More than 3.60 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in the elections for four municipal corporations, 47 municipal councils, and nagar panchayats.
According to the State Election Commission, elections are being conducted for a total of 449 posts across the state. Authorities have established 579 polling stations and deployed around 2,300 personnel to ensure a smooth, peaceful polling process.
Among the key urban bodies witnessing polling are the municipal corporations of Dharamshala, Mandi, Palampur and Solan.
In Dharamshala, polling for all 17 wards of the Municipal Corporation saw steady voter turnout from morning. A total of 36,800 registered voters, including 18,258 women and 18,542 men, are eligible to vote. The contest features 17 BJP candidates, 17 Congress candidates and 20 independents.
Authorities set up 34 polling stations in Dharamshala, including 12 sensitive and five hyper-sensitive booths, where enhanced security arrangements and strict monitoring have been implemented.
Meanwhile, polling also began peacefully for 11 seats of the Kullu Municipal Council and seven seats of the Manali Municipal Council. Voters, including senior citizens, women and first-time voters, were seen standing in queues outside polling booths from early morning.
The administration said all arrangements had been completed in advance for the smooth conduct of polling in both towns. Election officials stated that vote counting would begin immediately after polling concludes at 3 PM, and results are expected by late evening.
First-time voters also expressed enthusiasm over participating in the democratic process. Gunjan, who voted for the first time in Manali, appealed to people to participate actively in elections and cast their votes in large numbers.
SDM Manali Gunjeet Singh Chimma said polling had been progressing peacefully at all booths since morning, and officials were closely monitoring the process.
The counting process for municipal councils and nagar panchayats will begin later in the day, while results for the four municipal corporations are scheduled to be declared on May 31.
