As many as 1,293 of the total 3,754 gram panchayats will go to polls in the first phase of the elections to panchayati raj institutions tomorrow. Voting for the remaining panchayats will be held on May 28 and 30. “All preparations have been made for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the gram panchayat elections. The polling parties have reached their destinations and will get the polling booths ready by Monday evening,” said an official of the State Election Commission.
The polling would be held from 7 pm to 3 pm. In the previous elections, the polling time was from 8 am to 4 pm. “As the elections this time are being held during peak summer, the poling will start an hour early,” the official said. A voter would cast five votes, one each for a ward member, vice-pradhan, pradhan, panchayat samiti member and zila parishad member.
For the convenience of voters, the ballot paper for each post will be of different colour. For the panchayat ward member, the ballot paper will be of white colour, yellow for vice-pradhan, green for pradhan, pink for panchayat samiti member and blue for zila parishad member. The voters can use any of the 16 approved documents as an identity proof in these elections.
While the results of the gram panchayat elections would be announced shortly after voting concludes, the results of the panchayat samiti and zila parishad elections will be announced on May 31 along with the results of four Municipal Corporation elections. The polling for the Municipal Corporation elections was held on May 17.
In the panchayat elections, around 50.89 lakh voters will choose 31,182 public representatives, including 3,754 pradhans, 3,754 vice-pradhans, 21,654 ward members, 1,769 panchayat samiti members and 251 zila parishad members. Incidentally, 10,854 office-bearers have already been elected unopposed.
The State Election Commission has cancelled the election to the post of pradhan in Tali gram panchayat of Bilaspur district
