Shimla, May 28 -- Himachal Pradesh witnessed enthusiastic participation in the second phase of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) elections on Thursday, with nearly 80 per cent voter turnout recorded across 1,276 Gram Panchayats in the state.

Polling remained peaceful throughout the day and was conducted through ballot papers and ballot boxes from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Long queues of voters, including first-time voters, women and senior citizens, were seen outside polling booths since early morning. According to the State Election Commission, around 21.36 per cent of voting was recorded within the first two hours of polling.

State Election Commissioner Anil Kumar Khachi said that polling in the second phase was "almost 80 per cent" and pass...