State Election Commissioner Anil Khachi on Tuesday announced that polls for 51 urban local bodies in Himachal Pradesh will be held on May 17.
Speaking to the reporters, he said elections in four municipal corporations — Solan, Mandi, Palampur and Dharamshala — will be held on party symbols. However, elections in 25 municipal councils and 22 nagar panchayats will be held on a non-party basis.
The Model Code of Conduct came into force immediately after the announcement in all 51 urban local bodies. A total of 64 wards in four municipal corporations, 229 wards in 25 municipal councils and 156 wards in 22 nagar panchayats will go to elections.
The polls will be held using the existing state electoral rolls. As many as 589 polling centres will be set up, along with auxiliary booths in areas with higher voter turnout.
Announcing the schedule, Khachi said nomination papers can be filed on April 29, April 30 and May 2 between 11 am and 3 pm. The list of polling stations will also be published on April 29.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on May 4, while candidates can withdraw nominations on May 6. Election symbols will be allotted after the withdrawal process.
Polling for all 51 urban local bodies will be held on May 17. Results for municipal councils and nagar panchayats will be declared the same day, while results for municipal corporations will be announced on May 31.
Khachi clarified that there is no conflict between the Election Commission and the state government, adding that both work together to conduct elections smoothly. He also said the election schedule for over 3,600 panchayats will be announced later this week.
A total of 3,60,859 voters — including 1,80,963 men, 1,79,882 women and 14 voters from the third gender category — are eligible to vote. Among them, 1,808 voters will cast their vote for the first time.
The commission has also fixed expenditure limits for candidates. The spending cap has been set at Rs 1 lakh for municipal corporations, Rs 75,000 for municipal councils and Rs 50,000 for nagar panchayats.
Elaborate security arrangements are being made in coordination with the state police and the home department to ensure peaceful and orderly elections, he added.
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