Dehradun, Jul 24 (PTI) The first phase of the three-tier panchayat polls in Uttarakhand were held on Thursday, with 55 per cent of the electorate voting by 4 pm.

Polling began at 8 am and went on till 5 pm, state election officials here said.

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The final turnout of voters has not yet been provided by the state election commission.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his mother Bishna Devi also cast their votes at a government primary school at Nagla Terai in Udham Singh Nagar district.

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He appealed to people to cast their votes enthusiastically and participate in the democratic process.

Thursday was declared a paid holiday in all the districts that went to the polls.

The second phase of polling will be held on July 28, and the counting of votes will take place on July 31.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)