Shimla district witnessed high electoral participation in the second phase of Panchayati Raj Institution elections, recording an overall voter turnout of 80.68 per cent at the close of polling on Thursday, according to official figures released by the district administration.
Voting was held across 13 development blocks of the district, covering 149 gram panchayats and 812 polling stations. Out of a total electorate of 1,74,514, comprising 88,627 male and 85,887 female voters, as many as 1,40,797 voters cast their ballot. This included 71,730 male and 69,067 female electors, reflecting strong and near-equal participation across genders.
Among the development blocks, Kupvi emerged on top with the highest turnout of 85.55 per cent, followed closely by Theog at 85.52 per cent. Chhohara recorded 83.15 per cent, Rohru 82.37 per cent, Jubbal 81.82 per cent, Kotkhai 81.71 per cent and Tutu 80.98 per cent. Other blocks also reported steady participation, ranging between 73.86 per cent and 79.57 per cent.
Polling witnessed consistent voter movement throughout the day. Initial turnout stood at 21.91 per cent by 9 AM, which rose to 45.2 per cent by 11 AM and further climbed to 65.82 per cent by 1 PM before reaching the final figure of 80.68 per cent at the end of polling hours.
Officials stated that the electoral process remained peaceful and well-organised across the district, with no major untoward incidents reported. Adequate security arrangements and deployment of polling personnel ensured smooth and orderly conduct of voting.
The Panchayati Raj elections in Himachal Pradesh are being conducted in three phases to elect representatives to gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads across the state.
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