Himachal Pradesh Sees Strong Polling In ULB Elections, Results For 4 Corporations On May 31

Himachal Pradesh State Election Commission reported a voter turnout of nearly 69.16% in elections held for 51 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across 10 districts on Sunday. According to State Election Commission Secretary Sujeet Singh Rathore, a total of 2,50,391 voters cast their ballots out of 3,62,025 eligible voters.

Polling was conducted in four municipal corporations along with 47 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state, as reported by The Indian Express.

Municipal Corporations Record Lower Turnout Than Councils

The four municipal corporations recorded an average turnout of around 63.44%.

Officials said 83,342 voters exercised their franchise out of 1,31,369 eligible voters in the municipal corporation elections.

Meanwhile, polling in municipal councils and nagar panchayats was significantly

higher at around 72.42%, with 1,67,049 voters participating out of 2,30,656 eligible voters.

Hamirpur Registers Highest Polling, Solan Lowest

Election officials stated that Hamirpur recorded the highest turnout at nearly 78%, while Solan witnessed the lowest turnout at approximately 64%.

State Election Commissioner Anil Kumar Khachi said the final polling percentage could vary marginally by 1% to 2%. He also noted that direct comparisons with the 2021 ULB elections were difficult because the number and size of Urban Local Bodies have increased since the previous elections.

Results For Municipal Corporations To Be Declared On May 31

Officials confirmed that counting for several nagar panchayats and municipal councils had already begun, with complete results expected by around 8:30 pm.

However, results for the four municipal corporations, Solan, Mandi, Palampur and Dharamshala, will be announced on May 31.

Polling Conducted Peacefully Across State

The State Election Commission said polling remained largely peaceful and no incidents of violence were officially reported during the elections. However, the commission acknowledged receiving information regarding BJP MLA Satpal Singh Satti allegedly entering a polling booth in Santokhgarh in Una district while voting for the municipal council election was underway.

Anil Kumar Khachi said the commission had directed the Una Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer to examine the matter.

Responding to the controversy, Satpal Singh Satti said he had entered the polling booth only to observe the voting process and left shortly afterwards. He claimed that a person suddenly began speaking loudly to him inside the premises. He added that he later learned the individual was associated with the media.

Satpal Singh Satti maintained that there was nothing inappropriate about an elected representative visiting a location within his Assembly constituency.

Polling Percentage Rose Steadily Through The Day

According to the Election Commission, polling reached around 16% by 9 am before increasing to 33% by 11 am.

By 1 pm, turnout had crossed 49%, while approximately 72% polling was recorded by 3 pm.

Shimla District Records Strong Voting

In Shimla district, two municipal councils and six nagar panchayats recorded an overall turnout of 77.36% till 3 pm.

Among municipal councils:

• Rampur Municipal Council recorded 69.48% turnout
• Theog Municipal Council recorded 80.37% turnout

Among nagar panchayats:

• Jubbal recorded 88.93% turnout
• Nerwa’s three wards recorded 89.03%
• Chirgaon recorded 80.42%
• Sunni recorded 81.36%
• Chopal recorded 77.39%
• Una District Crosses 77% Polling

In Una district, polling crossed 77% after 3 pm in two municipal councils and four nagar panchayats.

Election authorities had established 49 polling stations for 48 wards in the district.

A total of 118 candidates contested the elections, while 28,292 voters were eligible to vote.

Polling was conducted for:

• Santokhgarh Municipal Council
• Mehatpur Basdehra Municipal Council
• Nagar panchayats of Gagret, Amb, Tahliwal and Daulatpur Chowk

Initial Results Begin To Emerge

Early counting trends showed several BJP-backed and Independent candidates securing victories in different wards.

In the Sujanpur Municipal Council:

• Independent candidate Vinay Chaudhary won Ward No 4 with 235 votes
• BJP-backed Kamlesh Chaudhar secured 96 votes
• Independent candidates Aman Chaudhary and Sanjay Chaudhary received 34 and 136 votes respectively

In Ward No 5:

• BJP-backed Shivani Thakur won with 230 votes
• Independent Priya secured 224 votes
• Congress-backed Anita Kumari polled 188 votes

In Ward No 6:

• Independent candidate Promila Devi emerged victorious with 158 votes
• BJP-backed Anita Mehra secured 130 votes
• Congress-supported Bindu Sharma got 79 votes
• Independent Bindu Thakur polled 67 votes

In the Manali Municipal Council, BJP-supported candidates won five wards while counting continued in two others.

In Talai Nagar Panchayat of Bilaspur district, BJP-backed candidates secured victory in four of seven wards, giving the party a majority while counting was still underway.

Elderly Voter Dies In Chamba While Heading To Polling Booth

In a tragic incident, a 70-year-old man reportedly died of a heart attack while on his way to cast his vote in the Jansali Ward municipal council election in Chamba on Sunday.

Police said the man was rushed to Government Medical College, Chamba, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Authorities added that the family requested the body be handed over without conducting a post-mortem examination.