71.4%: Himachal hits a new poll high
RECORD LS TURNOUT Smashes previous record of 65.3% in 2014, brisk polling since morning; EVM glitches in Shimla, poll staff suspended in Bilaspur
SHIMLA: The four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday witnessed a record turnout of 71.4%, surpassing the previous highest polling percentage of 65.3 in 1998. The 2104 Lok Sabha elections had recorded 64.5% voting.
There are 45 candidates in the fray for Kangra, Shimla, Mandi and Hamirpur seats, spread over 12 districts.
SHIMLA/DHARAMSHALA : The four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday witnessed a record turnout of 71.45%, surpassing the previous highest polling percentage of 65.3 in 1998. The 2104 Lok Sabha elections had recorded 64.5% voting.
There are 45 candidates in the fray for Kangra, Shimla, Mandi and Hamirpur seats, spread over 12 districts.
Polling in Himachal Pradesh began at a brisk note even as cloudy weather in the morning gave anxious moments to poll officials and political leaders.
Glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMS) delayed voting at a few polling stations in Shimla, Nachan in Mandi and Narkanda in Theog, but it restarted after the faulty machines were replaced, a state election officer said.
The election commission suspended members of a polling party in Bilaspur’s Bagerh polling station as they conducted mock polling with EVMS on Saturday, the official said.
Mandi Lok Sabha constituency registered 73.01% voting, the highest in the state, followed by Shimla 71.54%, Hamirpur 71.04% and Kangra 66.18%.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, along with his family members, cast his vote at Bharari (Murhag) in Seraj Vidhan Sabha constituency of Mandi district. Former CM Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya exercised their franchise at Rampur Bushar in Mandi constituency. Former CMS Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar cast their votes at Samirpur and Palampur, respectively.
UPPER REGION SHOWS THE WAY
This is for the first time that the upper region recorded higher polling percentage than the lower Himachal.
The hill state, having more than five million registered voters, is divided into upper and lower regions with two Lok Sabha seats each. Shimla and Mandi seats fall in the upper region of the state and while lower Himachal comprises Hamirpur and Kangra. The combined polling percentage of two seats in the upper region stood at 72.96%, with Mandi recording 73.01% voting, the highest in the state, and Shimla 71.54%. There is a significant jump of more than 7% in voting percentage in the two parliamentary constituencies this time. In 2014 general elections, Shimla recorded 63.99% polling and Mandi 63.56%.
KANGRA RECORDS LOWEST POLLING
Contrary to the general expectations, the lower Himachal this time has lagged in the polling percentage even as the electors in Hamirpur parliamentary constituency set a new record.
Hamirpur recorded 71.04% turnout while 66.18% voters cast their votes in Kangra, which has 14.27 lakh voters, highest in the state. The combined polling percentage in the two parliamentary segments stood at 68.01% -slightly higher than 65.27% in 2014 elections.
THREE GOVT STAFFERS ON POLL DUTY DIE
Meanwhile, three government employees died due to different ailments while performing their poll duties in the state on Saturday. The deceased are presiding officer Vaneet Kumar, homeguard jawan Devi Singh and polling officer Lol Ram.
An ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh each has been announced to the next of the kin of the deceased persons.
Priyabhishek Sharma, a political analyst, said though higher than previous elections, the polling percentage was not that high which could be considered significant and decisive. “The scale may tilt either way. It is difficult to say who will win as voter was comparatively silent in this elections,” said Sharma. The other viewpoint may be that the higher voter turnout may benefit the BJP on three seats. Meanwhile, BJP sees the high percentage of voting as an advantage while Congress feels people have voted for a change this time.