Shimla. The second phase of voting for Panchayati Raj institutions in Himachal Pradesh has started from 7 am on Thursday amid tight security arrangements. In this phase, huge enthusiasm is being seen among the voters to elect the village government in 1,276 panchayats of the state. Since morning, long queues of men as well as women and elderly people have started forming outside various polling booths. Under this phase, 17 lakh 30 thousand 30 voters will be able to exercise their franchise at a total of 7,334 polling booths, which includes 8,74,716 male and 8,55,597 female voters. Voting till 3 pm; The results of Pradhan and Up-Pradhan will be declared today itself. According to the State Election Commission, the voting process will continue till 3 pm. Election results will start coming soon after:
Pradhan, Vice-Pradhan and Ward Members: After the completion of voting at 3 pm, counting of votes will be started in the respective Panchayat buildings and their results will be declared by late evening today.
BDC and Zilla Parishad: The ballot boxes that decide the fate of Block Committee (BDC) and Zilla Parishad members will be kept safe in ‘strong rooms’ under tight security. Their counting of votes will be done on May 31 at the district headquarters.
The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements to ensure peaceful and fair voting.
District administration and police captains have been given strict instructions to maintain law and order at all polling stations.
After identifying sensitive and hypersensitive polling stations in the area, additional police forces and home guard personnel have been deployed there, so that any untoward incident or fake voting can be prevented.
Even in cold and hilly areas, as soon as the sun rises in the morning, the polling stations become brighter and people are voting enthusiastically on rural development issues.
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