Himachal govt notifies 39 new panchayats, election preparations underway

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh govt has completed the formation process for 39 out of total 40 newly proposed panchayats, and the panchayati raj department issued notifications for these new bodies.With the addition of 39 new panchayats, the total number of panchayats in the state rose to 3,616, up from 3,577 earlier. Only one panchayat in Mandi faced some issues, and the department will carry out re-demarcation to finalise the boundaries of the newly created panchayats within a week.Following the Supreme Court's directive, the state govt must hold elections to the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) before May 31, and the state election commission accelerated preparations accordingly. Elections for PRIs are likely to be conducted in three separate phases, though the authorities are yet to take the final call. Nearly 35,000 staff members will be deployed for the elections, and approximately 22,000 polling stations will be set up across the state. MSID:: 128886473 413 |