Former Union minister and Hamirpur BJP MP Anurag Thakur cast his vote in the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj elections on Thursday at a polling booth in Samirpur panchayat. He was accompanied by his family members and expressed confidence that the election trends were favouring the BJP.
Anurag Thakur said people were using the panchayat elections to express their anger against the Congress government in the state. He claimed the response from voters was strongly in support of the BJP.
Urging voters to participate actively in the polls, he said Panchayati Raj played an important role in strengthening democracy. He also highlighted that 50 per cent seats in the local bodies are reserved for women. He further said he hoped the newly-elected representatives would work for development and bring positive changes in their areas.
Meanwhile, the second phase of Himachal Pradesh rural body elections recorded a voter turnout of nearly 80 per cent in 1,276 panchayats, officials said.
Voting began at 7 am, with long queues seen outside several polling booths. First-time voters as well as elderly citizens turned up early to cast their votes.
Among all districts, Sirmaur recorded the highest turnout till 1 pm at 70.32 per cent, while Lahaul-Spiti registered the lowest polling percentage at 53.39 per cent.
Sarita, a first-time voter from Dhawahan panchayat in Mandi district, said she voted keeping development issues in mind. She said the village needs a library for students and better roads for residents.
A total of 17,30,300 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the second phase. These include 8,55,597 women, 8,74,416 men and 17 voters from the third gender category.
The first phase of polling for 1,293 panchayats was held on Tuesday and recorded a turnout of 78.90 per cent. The third and final phase for the remaining 1,274 panchayats will be conducted on May 30.
Officials said counting of votes is being held immediately after polling in most categories. However, results for block samiti members, zila parishad members and four municipal corporations will be declared on May 31.
State Election Commission Secretary Surjit Singh Rathore said polling for Ward No. 2 of Samwal panchayat in Chamba district, which was postponed due to alleged violations by officials, will now be held on May 30.
Nearly, 10,854 candidates have already been elected unopposed in the panchayat elections. The elections are being conducted through colour-coded ballot papers. White ballot papers are being used for ward 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 elections to choose 31,182 public representatives. These include 3,754 pradhans, 3,754 up-pradhans, 21,654 ward members, 1,769 panchayat samiti members and 251 zila parishad members.
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