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Voting for Himachal elections ends, 72% turnout recorded: EC
Voting across 68 constituencies in Himachal Pradesh concluded on Saturday, marking the end of an assembly election where the state’s political tradition of voting out the incumbent is at stake
Voting across 68 constituencies in Himachal Pradesh concluded on Saturday, marking the end of an assembly election where the state’s political tradition of voting out the incumbent is at stake.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) pegged the provisional turnout at nearly 71% till 10pm. Provisional figures usually get revised upwards the next day but typically not by much. In the 2017 assembly elections, the polling percentage was 75.57%.
The highest turnout till 9 pm was recorded in Sirmaur district (72.79%) and the lowest in Kinnaur (62%). The results will be announced on December 8, along with Gujarat.
Himachal Pradesh was home to 105-year-old Shyam Saran Negi, India’s first voter, who died a few days ago after casting his postal ballot for this election. The Election commission had expressed grief over his death. “ECI mourns the demise of Shri Shyam Saran Negi. We are eternally grateful for his service to the nation,” the poll panel’s spokesperson had said in a statement.
There are 412 candidates in the fray and an estimated 5,592,828 voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the state. Of the total, 2,854,945 are men and 2,737,845 women voters.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg said: “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.”
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to secure a second consecutive victory in the state where the two national parties have usually swapped power every five years. In the campaign, it banked on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, its development agenda and the promise of more projects being unlocked by a double-engine government (the BJP being in power both at the Centre and in the state). In 2017, it received 44 of the 68 seats and 48.8% of the vote share.
State urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj exercised his franchise at a polling station in Chotta Shimla. “Voting is brisk in the rural areas but it’s slow in the cities. Shimla has a trend where voting picks up slowly,” Bhardwaj said after casting his vote. The BJP leader has been a four-time legislator from Shimla Urban and this time he is contesting from nearby Kasumpti, which has remained a Congress citadel.
The Congress is hoping that its relatively more muted campaign will be able to exploit grassroots discontent with local leaders and anti-incumbency against the state government. In its campaign, it focussed on 10 guarantees by promising the restoration of the old pension scheme, 500,000 jobs and ₹1,500 a month to women..
“Public power will win over the money power this time. Election results will further set the course of future national politics. We will form the government,” said state Congress chief Pratibha Singh. She cast her ballot at her family’s stronghold of Rampur Bushahr in Shimla district
Aside from the two major parties, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also contesting 67 seats. It launched its campaign in April after the landslide victory in Punjab with the promise of several freebies, but its campaign lost steam as the election neared due to party focusing its attention towards Gujarat.
Others in the fray include the Bahujan Samajwadi Party on 53 seats; the Rashtriya Devbhoomi Party on 29 seats; Communist Party of India (Marxist) on 11 seats; the Himachal Jan Kranti Party on six seats; the Hindu Samaj Party and Swabhiman Party on three seats each and the Himachal Janata Party, Bharatiya Veer Dal, Sainik Samaj Party, Rashtriya Lok Niti Party and Communist Party of India on one seat each.
There are 99 independent candidates in the fray.
Till the time of filing this report, the upper-Himachal region, which saw a massive farmers’ protest last year, primarily in the apple-belt, had registered a heavy turnout. Comprising 34 constituencies of Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Solan, Sirmaur, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, the approximate voter turnout in the region was more than 67% till 9pm and the figures are likely to cross 75%-mark as the voting was still underway in many areas.
Lower Himachal, that comprises of Kangra, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and some part of Mandi, had a comparatively lower turnout at 65% till 9pm.
The main issues that influenced the electorate this time appeared to be anger among apple growers, a major employer in the hill state, and demand for more government employment. In the lower region farming, government jobs and army services were the key focal points this time.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh were among the early voters who exercised their franchise as polling began at 7am on Saturday.
Thakur voted with his family at the polling station at Aaun in Murhag panchayat of the Seraj assembly segment from where he is contesting as the BJP candidate. Thakur is contesting for the seventh time. He has won five elections consecutively and lost one earlier.
Pratibha Singh cast her ballot at her family’s stronghold of Rampur Bushahr in Shimla district.
Meanwhile, BJP national chief JP Nadda cast his vote in his village Vijaypur in Bilaspur district.
