Women emerged as the driving force in the final phase of panchayat elections in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, outnumbering men at polling booths across 10 districts as overall turnout crossed 76 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 that he felt privileged to cast his vote in his native village and participate directly in the democratic process at the grassroots level.
The 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 10 out of 12 districts of the state, recording a turnout of 79.46 per cent against 73.82 per cent among male voters — a gap of about six per cent. Polling began at 7 am and concluded at 3 pm.
The percentage is expected to rise, officials said, and details are being uploaded.
Sirmaur district had the highest voter turnout at 81.34 per cent, while Chamba registered the lowest at 72.47 per cent. 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.
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