Himachal panchayat polls: 78.53% voters in first phase, women outnumber men voters

Over 78% voting was recorded in the first phase of Himachal Pradesh panchayat elections on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) as women voted 6% more than men, officials said.

Polling for 1,293 panchayats began at 7 am and ended peacefully at 3 pm, amid a ‘yellow’ warning of heat conditions in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Solan and Sirmaur districts.

According to data from the State Election Commission, 78.55% of voters exercised their right to vote by 3:00 p.m., with a majority of voters in 10 out of 12 constituencies.

The data showed that 81.76% of female voters went to the polls compared to 75.43% of male voters.

Highest voter turnout was recorded in Kullu district 84.43% followed by 82.57% in Sirmaur, 81.06% in Solan, 80.53% in Chamba.

Shimla recorded 79.80% voter turnout, Mandi 79.39%, Una 78.76%, Bilaspur 77.39%, Kangra 75.75%, Hamirpur 73.05% and Kinnaur 73.59%.

Lahaul and Spiti districts recorded the lowest voter turnout at 69.40%, according to official data.

About 97% voter turnout, the highest in the state was recorded at Kunar-dhoman gram panchayat in Sirmaur district.

In Maindi, Karsog ward of Mandi district, polling for the samiti panchayat was canceled because the name of one of the candidates was missing from the ballot paper.

There are about 2500 voters in the ward and the name of one candidate Hoshiyar Singh was not in the list. An investigation has been ordered, officials said.

Elections were also postponed in ward number 3 of Chambi panchayat in Chamba as one of the candidates died in the election. Elections were also cancelled/postponed in ward number 1 Brandhli in Naren gram panchayat of Rampur in Shimla district because NOTA stamp was used on the ballot paper.

“The election was peaceful across the state. The samiti panchayat voting will be held again in one constituency in Mandi district as the name of one of the six candidates was missing from the list,” Chief Election Commissioner Anil Khachi told PTI.

In Bilaspur district, 113-year-old Manglu Devi exercised her right to vote at the ‘Pink Booth’ set up in Seu Gram Panchayat, located in Ghumarwin Development Block.

Manglu Devi, a resident of Bhadrog village, arrived at the polling booth accompanied by other family members to cast her vote. She is one of the oldest women to cast her vote in this election.

Bilaspur District Electoral Officer (Panchayat) and Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar praised the spirit of Mangla Devi and noted that her participation in this ‘festival of democracy’ would inspire other voters and serve as a source of inspiration for the youth.

Empowerment of women was seen in Ghanghal Panchayat in Dhanotu Development Block of Mandi District as the responsibility of conducting elections was given to women officials and staff, not just in one ‘women only polling booth’ but in the entire panchayat.

The polling queue in all the five polling stations under the panchayat was manned entirely by women, which ensured that the voting process was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner throughout the day, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate Smritika Negi.

The initiative aims to bring women to the forefront of leadership and administrative responsibilities, she added.

Negi said that after the success achieved in Ghanghal Panchayat, the same women team will now take charge of all the five polling stations in Chowk Panchayat during the next phase of polling, scheduled for May 28.

More than 16.5 million voters were eligible to exercise their right to vote in the first phase. More than 9000 candidates are applying for the posts of gram panchayat members, pradhans, up-pradhans, panchayat samiti members and zila faraad members.

Elections are held using colour-coded ballot papers, white for ward members, yellow for up-pradhans, green for pradhans, pink for samiti panchayat members and blue for zila parishad members.

The State Election Commission said the counting of members of gram panchayat, pradhans and up-pradhans has started and the results will be declared today. On the other hand, panchayat samiti and zila faraada seats will be declared on May 31.

About 50.89 million voters are eligible to vote in the three-phase polls.

They will vote for 31,182 public representatives, 3,754 pradhans, 3,754 up-pradhans, 21,654 ward members, 1,769 panchayat samiti members and 251 zila ward members.

A total of 10,854 candidates have already been elected without opposition. Voting for the second and third phases will take place on May 28 and 30.

Published – 27 May 2026 01:16 IST