The state election commission on Tuesday announced that panchayat polls in Himachal Pradesh will be conducted in three phases on May 26, 28 and 30, with counting of votes on May 31.
The announcement of the poll schedule follows a recent reprimand from the Supreme Court, which issued an ultimatum to the state government to conclude the local body elections before the end of May.
Addressing a press conference in Shimla, state election commissioner Anil Kumar Khachi said the elections will cover 31,182 posts, including those of pradhan, up-pradhan, gram panchayat members, panchayat samitis and zila parishads, in all 12 districts.
However, the election programme will not apply to four gram panchayats in Kullu district as their tenure is valid until February 9, 2027, though elections for panchayat samiti and zila parishad members will still be conducted there.
Khachi said the notification for the elections will be issued on Wednesday, after which the process of filing nomination papers will take place between 11am and 3pm from May 7-9. Scrutiny of papers will occur on May 12, while candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations on May 14 and 15. The final list of candidates will be prepared and election symbols will be allotted on May 15 itself.
Polling will be held from 7am to 3pm in the three phases.
Counting of votes for gram panchayat-level posts will be conducted after the conclusion of polling at the respective panchayat headquarters, while counting for panchayat samiti and zila parishad seats will take place at the block headquarters from 9am on May 31.
Khachi said more than 50.79 lakh voters are registered in the panchayati raj electoral rolls, including 25.62 lakh male voters and 25.11 lakh female voters. He said over 52,000 voters in the 18-year-old age group will cast their vote for the first time.
More than 21,000 polling stations will be set up across the state. One polling station in Lahaul-Spiti district will be set up at an altitude of 4,587 metres, the highest in the state.
He said that since elections for multiple panchayat posts are conducted simultaneously, each voter will receive separate, colour-coded ballot papers for different posts for ease of identification. White ballot papers will be used for panch posts, yellow for up-pradhan, light green for pradhan, pink for panchayat samiti members and light blue for zila parishad members.
Regarding updated electoral rolls, he said the commission initially set October 1, 2025, as the qualifying date and subsequently conducted a special revision of voter lists using April 1, 2026, as the reference date to ensure maximum inclusion of eligible voters. He said voters can check their names and details in the rolls through the ‘Voter Saathi’ mobile application or the official website of the commission.
With the announcement of the poll schedule, the model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect.
Key details
Nominations filing: May 7 to 9.
Total voters: 50.79 lakh
Scale: 12 districts, 31,182 posts, 21,000+ polling stations.
Ballots: Colour-coded system for different posts.
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