10,854 PRI representatives elected unopposed in Himachal

Shimla: A total of 10,854 candidates have been elected unopposed in the ongoing panchayati raj institution (PRI) elections in Himachal Pradesh following withdrawal of nomination papers, while 131 gram panchayats were elected unanimously without any contest.According to the state election commission, those elected unopposed include 85 panchayat samiti members, 176 gram panchayat pradhans, 286 up-pradhans and 10,307 ward members.As per the notification issued on April 29, polling for elections to 3,754 gram panchayats will be held in three phases on May 26, May 28 and May 30.Elections are being conducted for 31,182 posts, including 21,654 gram panchayat members, 3,754 pradhans, 3,754 up-pradhans, 1,679 panchayat samiti members and 251 zila parishad members.More than 50.79 lakh voters, including over 52,000 first-time voters, are eligible to cast their votes in the elections.Results for gram panchayat members, pradhans and up-pradhans will be declared on the day of polling, while results for panchayat samiti and zila parishad members will be announced on May 31.Nomination papers were filed on May 7, 8 and 11, while scrutiny was carried out on May 12 and 13. Election symbols were allotted after withdrawal of nominations on May 15.