Shimla, May 26 (IANS) Voting began on Tuesday for 1,293 gram panchayats in the first phase of Panchayati Raj elections in Himachal Pradesh amid tight security. The next two phases of the poll with a total of 3,745 gram panchayats will be held on May 28 and 30.

The main Opposition BJP has expressed apprehensions about the misuse of government machinery by the ruling Congress in the electioneering.

Polling will be conducted through ballot papers till 3 p.m. Each voter will cast five separate votes to elect a ward member, vice-pradhan, pradhan, panchayat samiti member and zila parishad member. The results for panch, pradhan and up-pradhan posts will be declared immediately after polling in each phase, while counting for panchayat samiti and zila parishad seats will take place on May 31.

Earlier, a voter turnout of 69.16 per cent was recorded in the elections to 51 urban local bodies (ULBs), including four Municipal Corporations, held across the state on May 17.

Hamirpur district recorded the highest voter turnout at around 78 per cent, while Solan district registered the lowest at 64 per cent.

Among the urban local bodies, Naina Devi recorded the highest turnout at 86 per cent.

The polling for the four Municipal Corporations — Dharamsala, Palampur, Mandi, and Solan — was concluded on May 17 alongside 51 other urban local bodies, but election results will be declared on May 31.

A BJP delegation led by state President Rajeev Bindal on Monday met Governor Kavinder Gupta here and raised concerns regarding alleged interference in Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body elections by the government.

Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur was also present at the meeting along with several senior BJP leaders and office-bearers.

The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Governor, highlighting what the party termed as repeated attempts by the government to manipulate democratic processes, amend rules during the election period, and influence the public mandate through administrative and political pressure.

–IANS

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