Shimla, May 7
Himachal Pradesh witnessed an enthusiastic response on the opening day of nomination filing for the three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) elections, with as many as 16,891 nomination papers filed across the state on Thursday. The elections are being conducted for Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads in different districts of the state.
According to information released by the State Election Commission, Mandi district recorded the highest number of nominations with 3,731 candidates entering the electoral fray on the first day. Chamba district stood second with 2,067 nominations, followed by Una with 1,892 and Hamirpur with 1,572 nominations.
Bilaspur registered 1,459 nominations, Solan 1,415, Kangra 1,407 and Kullu 1,383 nominations. Sirmaur district reported 917 nominations, while Shimla recorded 784 nomination papers. Tribal district Kinnaur witnessed 190 nominations, whereas Lahaul-Spiti registered the lowest number of nominations at 74.
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The State Election Commission stated that the process of filing nominations began on May 7 and would continue till May 11. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on May 12, while candidates can withdraw their nominations till May 15.
Polling for the three-tier PRI elections will be held in three phases on May 26, 28 and 30 from 7 am to 3 pm through ballot papers. Counting of votes is scheduled to take place on June 3 and June 7.
Officials said the large number of nominations on the very first day reflects keen public participation and heightened political activity in rural Himachal Pradesh.
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