HP Panchayat Elections: New Voters to be registered from April 1st

March 18, 2026

In light of the Panchayati Raj elections in Himachal Pradesh, voting rights will be registered for youths who have attained the age of 18 by April 1st. Concurrently, new voter lists will be prepared for 392 panchayats across the state, while the voter lists in other panchayats will be updated through a ‘Special Revision’ process.

The Election Commission is set to commence work on the voter lists following the recent completion of the delimitation process for wards in 64 panchayats within the state. The State Election Commission is considering initiating the subsequent procedures starting March 22nd, as the Deputy Commissioner’s office is currently engaged in the delimitation of the new panchayats; instructions have been issued to complete this task by March 20th.

The State Election Commission has the month of April at its disposal, given that the elections are scheduled to be held in May. Within this one-month window, the entire process—encompassing the preparation and publication of voter lists, as well as the invitation and disposal of objections—will be completed.

Furthermore, the goal is to finalize other election-related formalities during this same period, thereby ensuring that the election notification can be issued in a timely manner. According to officials, the Special Revision process will be implemented in those panchayats where no significant changes have occurred regarding the wards.

In such areas, the existing voter lists will serve as the baseline; new voters will be added, while the names of deceased or relocated voters will be removed. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are expected to play a pivotal role in this process. The State Election Commission aims to complete all procedures in a time-bound manner to ensure that the panchayat elections are conducted within the stipulated timeframe, in accordance with the directives issued by the Supreme Court.

Surjit Singh Rathore, Secretary of the State Election Commission, stated that work on the voter lists would commence once the ward delimitation exercise is concluded. Fresh voter lists will be prepared *de novo* for the affected and newly formed panchayats, whereas a Special Revision will be undertaken in those panchayats that remain unaffected by these changes.