Una, May 6. With the completion of the nomination withdrawal process in District Una under the Urban Local Body Elections-2026, the electoral landscape has become clear. On the final day for withdrawals, 18 candidates withdrew their nominations; consequently, a total of 118 candidates now remain in the electoral fray across the district's six urban local bodies.
Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal stated that polling for the Nagar Panchayats of Gagret, Amb, Tahliwal, and Daulatpur Chowk—as well as the Nagar Parishads of Mehatpur-Basdehra and Santoshgarh—in District Una will be held on May 17, while the counting of votes will take place on May 31. A total of 28,281 voters will exercise their franchise in these bodies, comprising 14,197 male and 14,094 female voters. Notably, 283 young voters will be casting their votes for the first time, while one third-gender voter will also participate in the polling process.
He further informed that 48 polling stations have been established across the district to ensure the successful conduct of the elections, where all necessary basic amenities have been ensured for the convenience of the voters. To facilitate the smooth conduct of the electoral process, the District Administration has a total of 108 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at its disposal. This includes 60 new EVMs received recently, in addition to the 48 machines already available. The requisite number of machines will be deployed at the polling stations, while the remaining will be kept in reserve to effectively handle any unforeseen contingencies.
During the nomination withdrawal process, the highest number of withdrawals—8 candidates—was recorded in Nagar Panchayat Mehatpur-Basdehra. One candidate each withdrew from Nagar Parishad Santoshgarh and Nagar Panchayat Amb; three candidates each withdrew from Nagar Panchayat Tahliwal and Nagar Panchayat Gagret; and two candidates withdrew from Nagar Panchayat Daulatpur Chowk.
Nagar Panchayat Mehatpur-Basdehra witnessed the highest number of withdrawals, with 8 candidates withdrawing their nominations. These include Hardeep Singh, Rakesh Kumar, and Balram Kumar from Ward No. 8; Kamlesh from Ward No. 2; Balwinder Singh and Makhan Singh from Ward No. 5; Anjana Kumari from Ward No. 6; and Satnam Kaur from Ward No. 7.
Praveen Prabhakar withdrew his nomination from Ward No. 4 of the Santoshgarh Municipal Council. Neelam Devi withdrew her name from Ward No. 2 of the Amb Nagar Panchayat.
Three candidates withdrew their names from the Tahliwal Nagar Panchayat, including Sushma Kumari from Ward No. 1, Sunita Kumari from Ward No. 3, and Rajni Devi from Ward No. 5.
Similarly, three candidates also withdrew their nominations from the Gagret Nagar Panchayat, including Kanta Devi from Ward No. 5, Sajjan Sharma from Ward No. 1, and Kusum Lata.
Meanwhile, two candidates withdrew their names from the Daulatpur Chowk Nagar Panchayat, including Anamika from Ward No. 6 and Sushma Rani from Ward No. 3.
The Deputy Commissioner stated that all administrative preparations have been completed to ensure that the elections are conducted in a peaceful, fair, and transparent manner. Additionally, a special monitoring cell has been established within the Deputy Commissioner's office premises to oversee the electoral process.