Early birds come out in droves as Himachal logs 70% voter turnout
Second-best turnout for Himachal after 2019 Lok Sabha polls’ record 80.1% voting ; Mandi leads with 72% turnout
Electors from all walks of life thronged the polling stations early across Himachal’s 12 districts to decide the fate of 37 candidates contesting from four Lok Sabha seats, recording a turnout of 68% till 5.30 pm.
Mandi Lok Sabha seat had recorded a 69.07% turnout, followed by Shimla at 67.5% and Hamirpur 65.9% and Kangra 64.07%.
The state had recorded its highest-ever turnout of 80.1% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The low-lying regions of the state witnessed brisk polling in the morning which slowed down a bit in the noon and again picked up pace in the evening.
“People left their homes early in the morning,” chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said, attributing the good turnout to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) and Himachal Election Department’s concerted efforts. “It’s due to the awareness amongst the electorate that Himachal witnessed a good turnout,” he added.
The hill state witnessed brisk polling for the assembly bypolls as well, with 69% turnout being recorded.
As many as 57,11,969 voters, including 438 people above the age of 100 years, were eligible to vote in the Lok Sabaha polls. Voters came out early in the plains of Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Kangra Hamirpur and Poanta in the Sirmaur district as it saw temperatures soar as the day progressed.
A large number of people, especially women, were also seen queuing up outside the polling centres. Elderly citizens, first-time voters and people with disabilities also came to exercise their franchise in good numbers.
Voting went by smoothly amid adequate deployment of security forces at the 7,992 polling booths and two auxiliary polling stations set up for the polls. Of the total booths, 369 had earlier been identified as critical.
“There was no untoward incident reported in the elections,” chief electoral officer Maneesh Garg said.
As many as 62 candidates — 37 for the four Lok Sabha seats and 25 for the assembly bypolls — are in the fray.
Prominent leaders in the fray include Union minister Anurag Thakur, former minister Anand Sharma, actor-turned politician Kangana Ranaut, Himachal public works minister Vikramaditya Singh and two-time sitting MP from Shimla Suresh Kashyap.
Bigwigs turn up early
Bharatiya Janata Party’s national president Jagat Prakash Nadda was the first to vote at the Vijaypur anganwadi center in his home district Bilaspur. He was accompanied by his wife Mallika Nadda. The leader interacted with voters afterwards and had tea at a shop owned by an old friend.
BJP’s Hamirpur candidate, Anurag Thakur, accompanied by his father and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and other family members, cast his vote at the polling booth in Samirpur.
Congress’ Mandi candidate, Vikramaditya Singh, accompanied by his mother and sitting Mandi MP Pratibha Singh cast their ballots at his home town in Rampur Bushahr. His opponent, Kangana Ranaut, the BJP candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, cast her vote in her native village Bhambla in Mandi district.
Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh was also accompanied by his family members at the Bhawda polling station in Nadaun, Hamirpur. His deputy, Mukesh Agnihotri, voted at his native village, Jainchand Gondpur, with his daughter Aastha. Former CM Jai Ram Thakur voted at Murgah in the Seraj assembly segment with his wife Sadhna Thakur and other family members.
Congress candidate from Hamirpur, Satpal Raizada, also exercised his right to franchise.
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and chief electoral officer, Manish Garg, cast their votes in Shimla.
BJP state president Rajiv Bindal and party candidates from the Kangra and Shimla, Rajiv Bhardwaj and Suresh Kashyap, and former BJP minister and scion of the erstwhile Kullu estate, Maheshwar Singh, were among the other big names who exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling.