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Women Lead Strong in Himachal Panchayat Elections
State election officials introduced color-coded ballots as 16.10 lakh voters cast ballots in the first phase, aiming to reduce confusion across 1,293 panchayats.
Voting for the first phase of Himachal Pradesh Gram Panchayat elections began at 7 am on Tuesday across 1,293 panchayats, concluding peacefully at 3 pm amid yellow alert for heatwave conditions in six districts.
Scheduled across three phases through May 30, the elections will result in 31,182 public representatives being chosen from over 9,000 candidates, with around 50.89 lakh voters eligible to participate.
Women voters demonstrated stronger participation, turning out at 81.76 per cent versus 75.43 per cent for men, with Kullu district leading at 84.43 per cent followed by Sirmaur at 82.57 per cent; the State Election Commission used colour-coded ballot papers to distinguish positions.
Manglu Devi, 113, cast her vote at the Pink Booth in Bilaspur's Seu Gram Panchayat, with Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar remarking her participation in this "festival of democracy" would inspire other voters; all-women election teams managed polling stations across multiple panchayats.
Results for gram panchayat positions will be declared today, with panchayat samiti and zila parishad results announced May 31; Kunar-dhoman gram panchayat in Sirmaur achieved about 97 per cent turnout though irregularities prompted cancellations in Mandi, Shimla and Chamba districts.