Voting begins for 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: Voters across Himachal Pradesh queued up outside polling booths Saturday to elect a new state government, a crucial test for the BJP hoping to beat precedent and return to power as well as for the Congress looking for electoral revival. Voting began at 8 am on a slow note in the hill state but began to pick up as the morning progressed and the winter chill eased a bit. The polling will continue till 5 pm in all 68 assembly constituencies.

In an early morning message to voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them to enthusiastically participate in the “festival of democracy” and register a voting record. In a tweet, Modi also greeted the young voters who will be exercising their franchise for the first time. Chief Minister Jairam Thakur echoed him and said every vote will help build a prosperous Himachal Pradesh.

“First vote, then refreshments. Dear fellow state residents, today is the day of voting. My humble request to all voters of Himachal Pradesh is to participate in this festival of democracy with full enthusiasm,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

“Vote in huge numbers, your one vote will help build a prosperous Himachal,” he added. More than 55 lakh voters in the state will decide the fate of 412 candidates, including Thakur, former chief minister Virbhadhra Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh and former BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti. Twenty-four women candidates are in the fray this time.

Of the total voters, 28,54,945 are male and 27,37,845 female voters in the state. The ruling BJP is hoping for an encore on the back of its development agenda, while the opposition Congress is appealing to voters to go by the four-decade tradition of voting out incumbents in the state. Modi has led the campaign from the front for the BJP, wrapping up his canvassing with a personal appeal to voters of the state, saying that every vote cast for the BJP symbol “lotus” will enhance his strength.

The Congress, desperate to wrest the state back from the BJP after multiple electoral losses and losing nine states in two years, has principally banked on general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Party leader Rahul Gandhi has said the Congress will consider providing one lakh jobs and bring back the old pension scheme in the first cabinet meeting if voted to power. Voting began in the morning after poll officials conducted a mock drill at all booths to check EVMs.

Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg said all arrangements were in place. “Nearly 50,000 polling staff and around 25,000 security staff have been deployed,” he told PTI. The Election Commission has set up 7,884 polling stations, including three auxiliary voting stations in far flung areas.

Of these, 789 are vulnerable booths and 397 critical ones. The highest booth is in Tashigang, Kaza in Spiti area of Lahaul Spiti district at a height of 15,256 feet. It will cater to 52 voters.

Besides the BJP and the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party is also trying its electoral luck. It has fielded candidates on 67 of the total 68 assembly constituencies. The BSP is fighting polls on 53 seats.

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