The first phase of the elections to panchayati Raj Institution (PRIs) in Kangra and Chamba districts witnessed a massive voter turnout and passed off peacefully on Tuesday. Women voters recorded higher participation than men in both districts.Voting was held simultaneously for Zila Parishad, Dlock Development Council, panchayat pradhans, up-pradhans and ward members. In Kangra district, polling was held in 1,713 wards of 287 panchayats amid tight security arrangements and close administrative monitoring. Of the total 425,477 voters, more than 3,22,300 exercised their right to franchise, registering an impressive turnout of over 75.75 per cent.
Women voters turned out in a large number in rural areas of Kangra district. Of the 2,10,276 registered female voters, around 171,000 cast their vote, recording a turnout of 81.20 per cent. Among male voters, over 151,400 votes were polled out of 215,198 registered voters, accounting for around 70.35 per cent turnout.
Long queues were witnessed outside polling stations since morning, particularly in remote and rural pockets. Election officials said that the polling remained peaceful across the district, with no major untoward incident reported from any polling booth.
Meanwhile, Chamba district, too, recorded brisk polling conducted in 676 wards of 118 panchayats. Of the total 151,191 voters, over 121,900 cast their vote, registering a turnout of nearly 81.7 per cent.
Women voters once again outnumbered men. Out of 73,956 female voters in Chamba district, more than 63,000 exercised their right to franchise, registering around 84 per cent polling. More than 59,800 of the total 77,234 eligible male voters cast their vote, recording a turnout of over 77.4 per cent.
Officials attributed the bumper turnout to increased awareness in rural areas and the growing participation of women and the youth in grassroots-level governance. Elaborate security arrangements were made at sensitive polling stations while election teams ensured a smooth conduct of polling in both districts.
While the counting of votes for the posts of pradhan, up-pradhan and ward member was held immediately after polling, for the Zila Parishad and BDC elections, the counting of votes would take place on May 31. The second phase of voting would be held on May 28 and the third and final phase on May 30.
