Kullu, May 30
Voting for the third and final phase of the Panchayati Raj elections began peacefully across 76 gram panchayats in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Saturday, with strong participation from both young and elderly voters. Polling started at 7 am and will continue until 3 pm, following which counting of votes for panchayat pradhans, up-pradhans and ward members will commence.
District authorities have made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth, fair, and peaceful polling. A total of 426 polling stations have been set up across six development blocks, where 99,607 voters are eligible to cast their votes. To facilitate the election process, 1,704 polling personnel and 852 police personnel have been deployed.
Among the development blocks, Naggar has 87 polling stations across 13 panchayats with 19,442 voters, while the Kullu block has 61 polling stations serving 15,046 voters. Bhuntar block accounts for 89 polling stations and 21,223 voters. Banjar, Ani, and Nirmand blocks are also witnessing voting across their respective panchayats.
A notable feature of the final phase has been the enthusiastic voter turnout. Young voters were seen arriving at polling stations in large numbers, while senior citizens also turned out enthusiastically to exercise their democratic right.
Many voters said the Panchayati Raj elections provide an important opportunity, once every five years, to choose local leadership and shape village development. They urged all eligible citizens to participate in the democratic process and expressed hope that elected representatives would work for the welfare and development of their panchayats.
Counting of votes for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will be conducted on May 31 from 9 am.
