Himachal Women Defy Weather with Higher Voter Turnout in Panchayat Elections

Women in Himachal Pradesh demonstrated commendable civic participation by braving inclement weather conditions during the third phase of the panchayat elections. Women voters outnumbered men across all 12 districts, recording a turnout of 68.95%, which was significantly higher than the men's turnout of 56.49%.

The polls, conducted through ballot papers, saw Sirmaur marking the highest voter engagement at 71.28%, while Lahaul and Spiti registered the lowest at 58.61%. By 1 pm, a collective voter turnout of 62.67% was reported. Election Officer Sanjeev Mahajan noted that approximately 15.4 lakh voters were eligible to vote across 1,189 gram panchayats.

No disruptions were reported during the voting process, which began at 7 am and concluded at 3 pm. The results for gram panchayat officials were scheduled to be announced the same day, with other positions to follow by the end of the month. The final three-phase elections will see the election of over 31,000 representatives.

(With inputs from agencies.)