New Leaders Sworn in for Panchayati Raj Institutions in Chamba District

Oath Ceremony for Newly Elected Panchayat Leaders

Subhash Mahajan
Chamba

Today, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, the Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, officiated the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected Pradhans and Up-Pradhans of the Panchayati Raj Institutions in Chamba district. This event took place at the historic Chaugan ground, where the representatives pledged their loyalty to the Constitution and vowed to perform their duties with integrity and fairness.

Speaker Pathania congratulated the newly elected officials, highlighting the significance of Panchayati Raj Institutions as the backbone of democracy. He urged the representatives to commit themselves equally to the development and welfare of all community members. He expressed optimism that the new leaders would work diligently to enhance the district's development and assured them of the necessary resources through government initiatives, along with full support from the administration and legislators to boost rural progress.

MLA Neeraj Nayyar also spoke at the event, emphasizing the need for quality in development projects and the importance of creating lasting assets in villages. He encouraged the representatives to focus on uplifting marginalized and weaker sections of society and to advance public welfare programs with equity.

The ceremony was attended by various dignitaries, including MLAs Dr. Janak Raj and D.S. Thakur, District Agricultural Produce and Marketing Committee Chairman Lalit Thakur, Haj Committee Chairman Dildar Ali Watt, State Transport Corporation Board Member and District Congress Committee President Surjit Bharmauri, State Congress General Secretary Yashwant Khanna, Rajiv Kaushal, Kewal Singh Thakur, Acting Deputy Commissioner Amit Mehra, Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar Saklani, Assistant Commissioner Manmohan Singh, along with senior officials from multiple departments.

Election Overview:

• The Chamba district consists of 7 development blocks and 319 Gram Panchayats.


• Voting took place for 638 positions (Pradhan and Up-Pradhan), in addition to 7 Panchayat Samitis, 135 Panchayat Samiti wards, 18 Zila Parishad wards, and 1,791 Gram Panchayat wards, totaling 2,581 roles.


• Approximately 8,000 valid candidates participated, with 412 representatives elected unopposed.


• Nearly 4,000 staff members and 990 police/home guard personnel were deployed to ensure the elections ran smoothly.


• The district had 4,07,829 registered voters, comprising 2,06,570 men and 2,01,283 women.


• Breakdown of Gram Panchayats by block: Bharmaur (31), Bhatiyat (71), Chamba (47), Mehla (52), Pangi (19), Salooni (46), Tissa (53).