: Nearly 66 pc polling in Himachal Pradesh as voters brave cold, trudge through snow #IndiaNEWS #India Shimla: Himachal Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of nearly 66 per cent on Saturday, the Election

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Nearly 66 pc polling in Himachal Pradesh as voters brave cold, trudge through snow #IndiaNEWS #India
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of nearly 66 per cent on Saturday, the Election Commission said citing provisional polling figures till 5 pm for the assembly elections, a crucial test for the BJP hoping to beat precedent and return to power as well as for the Congress looking for electoral revival.
From capital Shimla to the icy heights of Spiti, people across the state voted braving cold and in the higher reaches of mountains trudging through snow to elect a new state government.
Voting began at 8 am on a slow note but picked up as the day progressed and the sun warmed the winter chill.
In the first hour, around five per cent turnout was recorded, while by 11 am, it was 17. 98 per cent. It notched up to 37. 19 per cent by 1 pm and 55. 65 per cent till 3 pm.
Till 5 pm, a 66. 58 per cent turnout was recorded, according to provisional polling data released by the Election Commission (EC).
In the 2017 assembly elections, the polling percentage was 75. 57, up from 73. 5 per cent in the 2012 assembly polls.
The highest polling of 72. 79 per cent was recorded in Sirmour district followed by 68. 48 per cent in Solan and 68. 48 per cent in Una, 68. 03 per cent in Mandi and 67. 5 per cent in Lahaul and Spiti.
The high-altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti had recorded 21. 95 per cent, the lowest, till 1 pm, but polling was brisk as the sun came out.
The poll panels data showed that among the 68 assembly constituencies in the hill state, Seraj in Mandi district from where Chief Minister Jairam Thakur contested had the highest polling percentage of 82. 22, followed by Shillai 77 per cent, Sujanpur 73. 65 per cent.
Baijnath and Sarkaghat recorded 50. 25 per cent, the lowest, and 55. 40 per cent, respectively, the provisional data showed.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg said the final figures will be known after all poll parties return and final scrutiny of documents.
The polling process was peaceful and proper arrangements were made for the same. There was no untoward incident, and elections saw a very good response from the people. Even in snowbound areas people came out in large numbers with full zeal and enthusiasm, he told PTI.
The efforts of the Election Department and the EC towards ensuring peaceful elections could not have borne the desired results without active participation of the people, Garg said.
There were around 130 polling booths in tribal areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba and a few in Kinnaur assembly constituency that were affected by snow, he said.
Dropping temperatures and advancing years failed to dampen the enthusiasm of centenarians as many of them came out to vote, with 105-year-old Naro Devi exercising her franchise in Churah in Chamba and 103-year-old Sardar Pyar Singh in Shimla.

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