Una, May 21: The District Administration has completed all preparations to conduct the General Elections-2026 for Panchayati Raj Institutions in a peaceful, fair, and well-organized manner. On Thursday, District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal held a comprehensive review meeting with officials involved in the election process and Sub-Divisional Officers at the DRDA Hall in Una to take stock of the electoral arrangements and issue necessary directives.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held regarding tasks related to candidates, physical verification of polling stations, training of polling parties, postal ballots for election duty personnel, appointment of vote-counting staff, training of Assistant Returning Officers, deployment of Sector Officers, and preparations at the counting centers for Panchayat Samitis and District Councils. Additionally, instructions were issued concerning the dispatch of polling parties, the secure transportation of ballot boxes, the availability of HRTC buses, arrangements for accommodation and meals, and the provision of basic amenities such as electricity and water.
Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal clarified that no citizen would be permitted to carry a mobile phone inside the polling station. He stated that basic amenities would be made available at the polling stations to ensure that voters do not face any inconvenience. Furthermore, directives were issued stipulating that the transportation of ballot boxes would be carried out exclusively via HRTC buses, and no private vehicles would be utilized for this purpose.
He informed that, in order to streamline the election process, the second phase of the rehearsal for the concerned officials and staff members has also been successfully completed.
In District Una, a total of 4,049 candidates are in the electoral fray this time for various posts. These include 45 District Council members, 416 Panchayat Samiti members, 849 *Pradhans* (Village Heads), 930 *Up-Pradhans* (Deputy Heads), and 1,809 Ward members. Out of a total of 2,139 Panchayat posts, 706 representatives have already been elected unopposed, while polling will be held for the remaining 1,433 posts. The Pandoga Lower, Jakhewal, Binewal, Udaipur, and Bohru Panchayats have been elected entirely unopposed.
According to the District Election Officer, a total of 378,021 voters are registered in Una, comprising 190,767 men, 187,252 women, and 2 third-gender voters. To conduct elections across 249 Panchayats, 396 polling stations have been established.
To monitor the election process, 107 counting centers have been set up, including 102 sensitive and 5 highly sensitive centers. Arrangements for webcasting and online live streaming will be made at all centers to ensure that the election process remains transparent and secure.
In District Una, the Panchayat elections will be held in three phases on May 26, 28, and 30. Polling will take place from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. It will be mandatory for voters to arrive at the polling stations carrying either their Voter ID card or one of the 17 valid identity documents recognized by the Election Commission.