The robust turnout reflected sustained enthusiasm among rural voters as polling was conducted for the posts of Zila Parishad members, Block Development Council (BDC) members, panchayat pradhans, up-pradhans and ward members.
In Kangra district, voting was held in 277 panchayats covering 1,525 wards. Of the 3,70,630 eligible voters in Kangra district, 2,86,758 exercised their franchise, resulting in a turnout of 77.43 per cent. Women once again outpaced men in voter participation, with 82.30 per cent of female electors casting their votes compared to 72.63 per cent of male voters.
Of the 1,84,053 registered women voters, 1,51,484 exercised their franchise, while 1,35,511 of the district’s 1,86,577 male voters participated in the electoral exercise.
Chamba recorded an even higher turnout of 82.05 per cent in the final phase. Polling was conducted across 85 panchayats and 467 wards, where 89,124 voters exercised their franchise out of a total electorate of 1,08,681.
As in Kangra, women led voter participation in Chamba. Of the 54,399 registered female voters, 46,269 cast their votes, recording a turnout of 85.05 per cent. Among men, 42,855 of the 54,282 eligible voters exercised their franchise, translating into a turnout of 78.95 per cent.
Election officials said polling remained largely peaceful across both districts, with only isolated incidents reported. Security arrangements had been strengthened at sensitive polling stations, particularly in areas witnessing closely contested elections.
The turnout in the final phase exceeded that recorded during the first and second phases. Kangra had registered polling of around 76 per cent in the earlier phases, while Chamba had recorded turnout of over 80 per cent.
Political observers attributed the strong participation to keen contests for the posts of panchayat pradhans, up-pradhans, ward members, Panchayat Samiti members and Zila Parishad representatives.
One of the most notable features of this year’s PRI elections has been the consistently higher turnout among women voters, underlining their increasing participation and influence in grassroots democratic institutions.
While counting of votes for panchayat representatives was conducted immediately after polling, counting for Zila Parishad and BDC seats is scheduled for Sunday.
With polling now completed across all three phases, attention has shifted to the counting process, the outcome of which is expected to provide an indication of the organisational strength of various political groups at the grassroots level in both districts.
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