Shimla, April 23: State Election Commissioner Anil Khachi has announced that elections for 51 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Himachal Pradesh will be conducted on May 17. The upcoming polls are set to cover four municipal corporations, 25 municipal councils, and 22 Nagar Panchayats. A formal notification was issued on April 21, which also marked the immediate commencement of the Model Code of Conduct in the relevant areas.
Commissioner Khachi affirmed that while elections for the four municipal corporations will be contested on party symbols, candidates for municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats will use independent symbols. The commission has finalized 589 voting centers to accommodate an electorate of over 3.60 lakh people. He maintained that the election process will be conducted using the updated state electoral rolls to ensure broad participation.
According to the established schedule, public notices will be issued on April 28, with the nomination period set for April 29, April 30, and May 2. Following the scrutiny and withdrawal phases, symbols will be allotted on May 6. Polling is scheduled to take place from 7 am to 3 pm on May 17. Results for municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats will be declared later that same day, while the counting for the four municipal corporations is slated for May 31.
The commission has also implemented strict expenditure limits for candidates, ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh depending on the type of local body. Commissioner Khachi asserted that elaborate security measures are being coordinated with the state police to maintain order. He declared that a paid holiday will be observed on the polling day to facilitate voter turnout. Additionally, he clarified that there is no conflict between these elections and the Panchayati Raj polls, with the schedule for the latter expected to be released shortly.
