The State Election Commission (SEC) today announced that election for 51 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Himachal Pradesh will be held in a single phase on May 17.Addressing a press conference here today, State Election Commissioner Anil Khachi said polling will be held for 51 ULBs, including the Municipal Corporations of Solan, Mandi, Dharamsala, and Palampur; 25 Nagar Parishads; and 22 Nagar Panchayats, on May 17. There are a total of 449 wards that will go to polls in these 51 ULBs, where the model code of conduct came into force immediately after the announcement of the election schedule today, said Khachi.He said the election schedule for the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) will be announced later. He added that having a vote registered at two places, whether in a rural area and in a ULB, will amount to an election offence. The court has set a deadline of May 31 for holding panchayat polls in the state, and as such, the poll schedule for the PRIs is likely to be announced within a few days.Khachi said the counting of votes for the Nagar Parishads and Nagar Panchayats will be undertaken immediately after polling on May 17. In the case of the four Municipal Corporations of Solan, Mandi, Dharamsala and Palampur, counting will take place on May 31.He said elections will be held in all those ULBs whose roster has been received by SEC and where special revision of electoral rolls was completed yesterday. “We are confident that, as has been the case in the past, elections will be smooth, but the DGP has been directed to ensure free, fair and peaceful polls,” he said.He said a total of 16 identity cards, such as Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving licence, voter card and ration card, can be shown as identity proof.“While the Nagar Panchayat and Nagar Parishad elections will not be held on a party symbol basis, the polls for the four MCs will be based on party symbols, which will be allotted to the recognised party candidates,” he said.