Himachal Pradesh polls: 55.65 per cent voting till 3 pm

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh, where the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in an aggressive fight, recorded a voter turnout of 55.65 per cent till 3 pm on Saturday, the Election Commission said.

Voting began at 8 am on a slow note but picked up as the day progressed and the sun warmed the winter chill. The assembly election is a crucial test for the BJP which is hoping to beat precedent and return to power while the Congress has urged voters to go by the tradition of voting out the incumbent.

Only around five per cent of polling was recorded in the first hour, while till 11 am, it was 19.98 per cent. It notched up to 37.19 per cent by 1 pm and by 3 pm, the state recorded a 55.65 per cent turnout.

The highest polling of 62.75 per cent was recorded in Lahaul and Spiti district, followed by 60.38 per cent in Sirmour and 58.9 per cent in Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur.

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 with it recording the highest till 3 pm. The lowest turnout of 46 per cent was recorded in the Chamba district till 3 pm.

Seraj in Mandi from where the chief minister is contesting and Sujanpur recorded 65 per cent polling, the highest among the 68 assembly constituencies. Anni constituency in Kullu recorded a polling of 62.4 per cent, Arki 40 per cent, Churah 34.68 per cent and Dalhousie 38.44 per cent, among others.

Chief Minister Thakur voted in Mandi along with his wife and daughters after offering prayers at a local temple, while Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh and her son Vikramaditya Singh voted in Rampur. Earlier in the day, the Congress leader along with her son paid obeisance at the Shani temple in Shimla.

Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his son, and Union Minister Anurag Thakur voted in Hamirpur along with family members. Former Union minister Anand Sharma voted in Shimla while CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri and his family voted in Haroli, from where he is contesting.

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