BackHimachal elections 2017 LIVE: Voter turnout at 74%, likely to go up, says EC
The voting for Himachal Pradesh elections, a two-pronged battle between BJP and Congress, has ended. Here are the latest updates and developments
Premium
New Delhi/Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh elections on Wednesday has recorded 74% voter turnout and that figure is likely to go up, the Election Commission has said. While the BJP has named Prem Kumar Dhumal as its chief ministerial candidate, the Congress will be banking on Virbhadra Singh to retain power in the state.
Polling for Himachal elections started at 8am and with voter turnout recorded at almost 65% till 4pm. In the current Himachal Pradesh assembly, the Congress and the BJP have 35 and 28 MLAs, respectively, in the 68-member house. Apart from them, there are four independents, while one seat is vacant. The Congress and the BJP have been returning to power alternately since 1985.
Here are the latest updates from Himachal Pradesh elections:
■ Polling still on in about 500 booths. The previous highest polling percentage of 73.5 was recorded in the 2012 Himachal Pradesh elections, deputy election commissioner Sandeep Saxena said.
■ 74% voting recorded till now in Himachal Pradesh elections, likely to go up, says Election Commission of India. (ANI)
■ 64.8% voter turnout recorded till 4pm, DD News reports. News18 reports 67% voting in Chamba district till 4pm.
■ 54.9 % voters have cast their vote till 2pm in Himachal Pradesh State assembly elections today, All India Radio reports.
■ Moderate to heavy polling was recorded in Himachal Pradesh today with 35% voters exercising their franchise till 1pm. The polling was peaceful but there were reports of malfunctioning of EVMs and VVAPTs from several places and polling could not be held in Gondla polling booth in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district. The EVM was replaced but after three votes it again developed some snag. The EVM was being repaired and polling would commence soon, election officials said.
Shyam Sharan Negi (101), the first voter of India, cast his vote for the 15th time in assembly polls at Kalpa in Kinnaur district.
Shimla district recorded the highest polling of 36%. The largest Kangra district recorded 22% voting while Kinnaur recorded 35% polling. Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Mandi, Una, Solan and Sirmaur districts recorded 26%, 29%, 32%, 35% and 30% polling till noon while Theog constituency in Shimla recorded highest 42% polling. (PTI)
■ Himachal Pradesh records 28.02% polling till 12 noon, All India Radio reports.
■ Union Minister JP Nadda casts his vote at a polling booth in Bilaspur.
■ Himachal Pradesh records 13.72% polling till 10am, DD News reports. Earlier, the polling started across the state at 8.am and at several places in Chamba and tribal areas 5-10% polling was recorded. Shimla district recorded 18% polling, Hamirpur 17%, Chamba 12%, Kangra 14%, Mandi 16%, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur 15 to 20% and Solan and Sirmaur 18 to 20%, PTI reported.
Reports of fault in VVPAT machines were received in Sirmaur district while polling stated late by 15-20 minutes in some polling booths, it added.
Kusumpti constituency in Shimla recorded 22% polling, Shimla(rural) 20%, Theog 19%, Rampur 18% and Shimla (Urban) and Rohroo 16%, Election Department.
■ BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal and BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur cast their votes in Hamirpur while CM Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya cast their votes at a polling booth in Shimla.
■ Virbhadra Singh expresses confidence “of getting majority in the election, the next Government too will be of Congress," ANI quoted the incumbent chief minister as saying.
■ Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges Himachal Pradesh voters to come out in record numbers to participate in the assembly elections today.
■ Prem Kumar Dhumal, BJP’s chief ministerial candidate: “We aimed to get 50 plus seats but now that we are receiving so much support from all sections of the society, we expect it to cross 60. (ANI)
■ “Time has come, people have made up their mind to get rid of Congress who has looted Himachal Pradesh. The state needs a senior leader like Dhumal ji to look at the affairs of Himachal which is under the debt of more than ₹ 50,000 crore," Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur. (ANI)
■ Virbhadra Singh has decided to change constituencies from Shimla (Rural) to Arki to make way for his son, Vikramaditya Singh, to contest from his seat. BJP’s Dhumal has also changed his constituency to Sujanpur. Read more
■ ANI reports that voting at polling station number 55 in Kinnaur, Reckong Peo has not yet started due to a technical glitch. The polling booth is all women-managed, it adds.
■ Voters queue up to cast their votes at a polling booth in Dharamshala, reports ANI.
Himachal Pradesh elections, in numbers
■ Polling for all the 68 constituencies begins in Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, reports ANI.
■ On election duty today: The state has deployed 11,500 police jawans, 6,400 home guards, 65 companies of paramilitary forces, reports ANI.
Himachal elections: Prem Kumar Dhumal gives BJP the edge over Congress
■ The state Excise Department has seized 3.26 lakh bulk litre of liquor and ₹ 1.48 crore in cash from different parts of Himachal Pradesh since the announcement of the poll, a spokesman for the department said on Wednesday. Out of 285 complaints of violations of Model Code of Conduct received by the CEO, 273 were disposed of, officials said. (PTI)
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
