Himachal Pradesh Panchayat Elections 2026 Begin Today

Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday began the first phase of its Panchayati Raj elections, with voting underway in 1,293 gram panchayats across the state. Polling started at 7 am and will continue until 3 pm.

More than 1.8 million voters are taking part in the first phase to elect local representatives at different levels of the rural governance system. Voters are casting separate ballots for ward member, vice-pradhan, pradhan, panchayat samiti member and zila parishad member.

The elections are being held in three phases across Himachal Pradesh. A total of 3,745 gram panchayats will go to polls during the election process.

More than 16,000 polling stations have been set up across the state. Several booths have been marked sensitive and highly sensitive, with additional security arrangements deployed in many districts. Election authorities said polling stations are being monitored through CCTV cameras and online surveillance systems.

Strict Security Measures at Polling Stations

The State Election Commission has barred unauthorised individuals from entering polling centres. Candidate camps have been restricted to areas beyond 100 metres from polling booths, while gatherings and campaigning near voting centres have also been prohibited.

Officials said vote counting will also remain under CCTV surveillance.

Results for ward member, pradhan and vice-pradhan posts are expected to be declared by Tuesday evening after polling concludes. Counting for zila parishad and panchayat samiti seats will begin only after all three phases are completed, with final results scheduled for May 31.

Three-Phase Election Process

The second phase of polling will take place on May 28, followed by the third and final phase on May 30.

More than 52,000 young voters are participating in the Panchayat elections for the first time this year. Election authorities expect voter turnout to surpass previous local polls.

BJP Accuses Congress Government of Interference

Ahead of polling, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh of interfering in the election process.

A BJP delegation led by Rajeev Bindal and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur met the Governor and submitted a memorandum raising concerns over the conduct of the elections.

The BJP alleged that reservation and office-bearer selection rules were changed after the election process had already begun. The party also accused the state government of violating the model code of conduct by announcing development budgets during election meetings.