Dungarpur. Election preparations have been completed in Dungarpur district for the first phase of voting of Panchayat Raj General Election-2026. On Thursday, voting will be held for the election of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members in seven Panchayat Committees of the district.
For this, after the final training at Shri Bhogilal Pandya Government Post Graduate College campus on Wednesday, 596 polling parties were sent to the designated polling centers with EVMs and election material.
In the first phase, 5 lakh 21 thousand 601 voters will use their franchise to decide the political future of the candidates. Voting will take place from 7 am to 6 pm.
The District Election Department has made extensive arrangements to conduct free, fair, transparent and peaceful voting.
In the last training organized before the departure of the polling parties, District Election Officer and District Collector Deshaldan instructed the officers and employees to follow the instructions of the Election Commission and fulfill their responsibilities with full seriousness, vigilance and team spirit.
In the first phase, voting will be held in Sagwada, Padwa, Galiyakot, Jhothari, Bhandari, Simalwada and Chikhali panchayat committees. In these areas, voters will elect their representatives for 20 wards of Zilla Parishad member from 7 to 26 and 119 wards of Panchayat Samiti member. In this way, there will be election contest in total 139 wards of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members.
According to the Election Department, in the first phase, the election process is being conducted in a total of 233 gram panchayats and areas related to polling places. For this, the same number of polling teams have been deployed at 596 polling stations.
71 zones and sectors have been determined to monitor and coordinate the voting system. Through this arrangement made on a large scale, preparations have been made to conduct the voting process smoothly.
A total of 5,21,601 voters are registered in the first phase of elections. These include 2,66,610 men, 2,54,985 women and 6 transgender voters. To provide the opportunity to such a large section of voters to vote, the Election Department has completed all necessary preparations, from deployment of polling teams to arrangements at the centres.
Now political parties and candidates are keeping an eye on the voters regarding voting in the rural areas of the district. The voting to be held on Thursday will decide the direction of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti election results. The administration will have the responsibility of ensuring systematic voting at all the polling stations within the stipulated time.
During the final training organized at Shri Bhogilal Pandya Government Post Graduate College campus, District Election Officer and District Collector Deshaldan said that it is the collective responsibility of all the officers and employees to conduct free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections as per the intention of the Election Commission.
Every employee should fulfill his assigned responsibilities with full seriousness and should re-study the guidelines of the Election Commission and ensure that they are followed.
He instructed the polling party in-charge to work in coordination with all the members of their party and face every situation with wisdom.
He said that responsibilities are fixed at every level, hence all the personnel should work as per the prescribed plan while keeping their roles clear.
Any challenge can be faced with mutual coordination, alertness and determination. The Collector laid special emphasis on following rules, timely work and discharge of responsibilities during the voting process.
He called upon the officers and employees to complete the election work with full dedication by giving top priority.
The Election Department has prepared a comprehensive electoral structure in the district for the first phase of voting. A total of 596 polling parties have been dispatched to 596 polling stations.
Along with this, the responsibility of coordination and monitoring of election arrangements has been fixed through 71 zones and sectors. In the final training, the polling parties were given information about election related procedures, responsibilities and necessary guidelines.
Skilled trainers provided training on various aspects of the voting process, so that no chaos occurs on the day of voting. Officials instructed the polling parties to work as per the prescribed rules while maintaining mutual coordination.
During the training and departure, election observer Ashu Chaudhary appointed by the State Election Commission, Deputy District Election Officer Prakash Chandra Regar, Chief Executive Officer Bhanwarlal, Tehsildar Election Anil Pandya along with related officers-employees, Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer were present.
Along with the voting of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members, the process of election of Sarpanch and Ward Panch in the first phase will also proceed as per the scheduled schedule.
The nomination process for the posts of Sarpanch and Panch will be held on Friday, October 23. After this, voting will be held on Saturday, October 24 from 7 am to 6 pm.
Counting of votes will take place at the concerned Gram Panchayat headquarters immediately after the end of voting. The next day on Sunday, October 25, the election of Deputy Sarpanch will be conducted.