Shimla: Nearly 80 per cent polling was recorded during the second phase of the Himachal Pradesh rural body elections for 1,276 panchayats on Thursday, with women voters surpassing men in turnout in nine out of 12 districts.
The percentages of female and male voters stood at 82.97 per cent and 76.69 per cent, respectively.
The poll percentage, which was 76 per cent in the second phase of Panchayat polls in 2021, increased to 79.79 percent in the second phase in 2026, officials said.
The polling was peaceful and no untoward incidents have been reported from any part of the state, State Chief Election Commissioner Anil Khachi told PTI.
The highest turnout was recorded in Kullu district at 85.52 per cent, followed by 85.16 per cent in Sirmaur, 83.62 per cent in Solan, 80.96 per cent in Mandi, and 80.68 per cent in Shimla.
Chamba recorded 79.99 per cent turnout, while Una saw 79.73 per cent, Bilaspur 78.95 per cent, Kangra 76.29 per cent, Kinnaur 76.29 per cent, and Hamirpur 74.94 per cent.
Lahaul and Spiti district recorded the lowest turnout at 69.38 per cent, according to official data. Villagers in Ward No 1 of Kangri under Ree Gram Panchayat in Hamirpur district boycotted the panchayat elections, citing years of stalled development work and the failure to resolve several pending issues.
Around 288 voters from Ward No 1 had issued an ultimatum to the authorities prior to the announcement of polling dates, saying they would boycott the rural body elections if their demands remained unmet. On Thursday, not a single person from the ward turned up to vote.