Shimla, May 11 -- Himachal Pradesh witnessed a surge in grassroots democratic participation as the nomination process for elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions concluded on Monday, with more than 79,000 candidates entering the electoral fray across the state.

According to the State Election Commission, a total of 79,676 nomination papers had been received by the close of filing on May 11, marking one of the highest levels of participation in recent Panchayati Raj elections in the hill state. The final tally is expected to rise further as reports from the remote Pangi development block in Chamba district are yet to be fully compiled.

The last day of the nomination process recorded the highest activity, with 37,114 nomination paper...