HT This Day: October 26, 1951 — Himachal goes to the polls

India’s first General Elections, the biggest in the world, began today with the casting of votes by the people of Chini and Pangi tehsils of Himachal Pradesh, on the country’s north border

India’s first General Elections, the biggest in the world, began today with the casting of votes by the people of Chini and Pangi tehsils of Himachal Pradesh, on the country’s north border. The first votes were cast at 6 am.

HT This Day: October 26, 1951 — Himachal goes to the polls

Details of polling have not yet reached here as there are no means of communication with the tehsils except a wireless link, used for official purposes only.

Between today and November 2, the 20,000 voters of these two tehsils will cast their votes to elect two representatives to the State’s first 36-member biggest inland three to Legislative Assembly the House of the People.

Polling in Chini, which is in Mahasu District, will conclude on October 27, but in Pangi in Chamba District it will continue till November 2.

The voters of Chini will have plural votes in the choice of their representatives to the House of the People as the Mandi-Mahasu Parliamentary constituency, of which it is a part, has to return two members, one of them a Scheduled Caste, The Chamba-Sirmur Parliamentary constituency, which includes Pangi, has to elect only one member.

The ballot boxes of the Parliamentary candidates will not be opened until then.

There are 11 polling stations in Chini and 15 in Pangi.

Polling in the rest of Himachal will start on November 19.