The Himachal Pradesh State Election Commission on Tuesday announced the schedule for panchayat elections in Himachal Pradesh, bringing the Model Code of Conduct into immediate effect across the state.
State Election Commissioner Anil Khachi made the announcement during a press conference in Shimla. With this, the process for grassroots-level elections has officially commenced.
Polling will be held in two phases—on May 26 and May 28. The counting of votes will follow the polling process, with results declared after counting for posts such as pradhan (village head), deputy pradhan, and ward members.
A total of 31,182 seats across gram panchayats will go to polls. However, elections for certain posts will not be conducted in four panchayats in Kullu. The elections will cover positions of pradhan, deputy pradhan, and ward members.
With approximately 2.56 million men and 2.51 million women, the state has has over 5.07 million registered voters. Around 21,678 polling stations will be set up across the state, including in remote and high-altitude areas, with one polling station located at an altitude of 4,587 metres. Notably, around 50,000 voters above the age of 85 are also eligible to participate.
Authorities have also mandated videography at polling stations to maintain transparency.
With the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, the state government is prohibited from announcing new schemes, making transfers or recruitments, issuing tenders, or carrying out inaugurations until the completion of the election process.
- Individuals dismissed from government service are not allowed to contest elections.
- Serving government employees cannot act as election agents.
- Those receiving honorarium from the government must resign before contesting.
- There is no minimum educational qualification required to contest panchayat elections.
The announcement comes in line with directions from the Supreme Court of India, which has set a deadline of May 31 to complete the panchayat election process in the state.
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