Himachal Pradesh elections: Polling picks up with 55.65% turnout till 3pm

The highest polling of 62.75% was recorded in Lahaul and Spiti district, followed by 60.38%in Sirmaur and 58.9%in Mandi, the home district of chief minister Jairam Thakur

Himachal Pradesh, where the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in a direct fight, recorded a voter turnout of 55.65% till 3pm on Saturday, the Election Commission said.

Voters showing their identity cards before casting their votes in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections at Theog in Shimla district on Saturday. (Deepak Sansta/HT)

The voting gradually picked up pace as the sun came up in the hill state, where the BJP is eyeing history by repeating its government, while the Congress is urging voters to go by the tradition of voting out the incumbent government.

The voting started on a slow note with only 5% polling recorded in the first hour. Till 11am, 19.98% polling was recorded. It went up to 37.19% by 1pm and till 3pm, the state recorded a 55.65% turnout.

The highest polling of 62.75% was recorded in Lahaul and Spiti district, followed by 60.38%in Sirmaur and 58.9%in Mandi, the home district of chief minister Jairam Thakur.

The high-altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti had recorded 21.95%, the lowest, till 1pm but polling was brisk as the sun came out with it recording the highest till 3 pm. The lowest turnout of 46% was recorded in Chamba district till 3pm.

Seraj in Mandi from where the chief minister is contesting and Sujanpur recorded 65% polling, the highest among the 68 assembly constituencies.

Anni constituency in Kullu recorded a polling of 62.4%, Arki 40%, Churah 34.68% and Dalhousie 38.44%, among others.

Chief minister Thakur voted in Mandi along with his wife and daughters after offering prayers at the Baglamukhi temple.

Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh and her son Vikramaditya Singh voted in Rampur. Earlier, they offered prayers at the Shani temple in Shimla.

Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, his son and Union minister Anurag Thakur voted in Hamirpur along with their family members.

Former Union minister Anand Sharma voted in Shimla, while Congress legislature party leader Mukesh Agnihotri and his family voted in Haroli, from where he is contesting.

BJP president JP Nadda voted along with family members in Bilaspur, while former chief minister Shanta Kumar also cast his vote.