Record 74% voter turnout in Himachal
Himachal Pradesh on Thursday recorded its highest polling in assembly elections with 74 percent of voters exercising their franchise, the Election Commission said today.
The figure was till 5 pm and the final polling percentage may be revised as final voting figures are yet to be tallied.
Polling was still on in about 500 booths.
The previous highest polling percentage of 73.5 was recorded in the 2012 assembly polls, Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena said. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, it was 64.45 per cent.
At a press conference, Saxena said the elections were peaceful, and no incident of violence was reported.
A total of 11,283 VVPAT units were used in all polling booths of the 68 constituencies out of which 297 were replaced, Saxena said, adding this was well within the technical limits.
The Congress is currently ruling the hill state, and the BJP is eyeing to return to power after a gap of five years.
In the outgoing 68-member assembly, the Congress and the BJP have 35 and 28 MLAS respectively. There are four Independent MLAS while one seat was vacant. The poll results will be announced on December 18.
KOTKHAI: Single-phase Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh ended up with 74 per cent polling on Thursday, with Nalagarh recording highest 80 per cent voters turnout. Still, the voting percentages of north Himachal districts— the apple belt—keep significance as 12 of the 68 Assembly segments in the region make the main two political parties, Congress and BJP, jittery. The voters are tight-lipped about their preferences.
Shimla Urban constituency recorded 66 per cent, Shimla Rural 62 per cent, Kullu 66.14 per cent, Jubbal Kotkhai 75 per cent and Kinnaur also recorded 57 per cent voters turn out.
The people of Kotkhai, 28 km from the capital city, pointed out some interesting facts while taking to the Millennium Post. First, the constituency is known for apple production.
The Baghi village of Kotkhai has the largest production of apples in Himachal which includes 22lakhs of apple boxes being produced every year including Ratnari, Kalbog and Kyarvi villages. Even the male literacy is 87 per cent, and female literacy is 80 per cent in Kotkhai. Therefore, the development is not the issue rather people vote for ‘personal goodwill’ here.
The constituency had total 127 polling stations and main contenders were two-time former minister Narinder Bragta of BJP and grand son of former Chief Minister Thakur Ram Lal, Rohit Thakur of Congress. Locals seemed to prefer Thakur as he is a young face and communicates with every person of the constituency, they claimed. Even, the history says that it had always been a Congress bastion. In 2012, Indian National Congress candidate Rohit Thakur won the seat with 29219 votes.
However, another section of locals also feel that the apple belt may give up on “Raja Sahib” Virbhadra Singh, whose family ruled Rohru. The alleged rape and of 16 years old girl (Gudiya) in July 2017 from Kotkhai area hangs over the incumbent Congress government followed by local protests, custodial death of an accused in police lock-up and arrest of eight cops, including an Inspector General of Police (IGP). It had also disturbed the peace in the hill state over past few months. However, the case has been handed over to the CBI. But locals claimed of many loopholes.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP is also not leaving any opportunity to take a dig to the incumbent Congress government over women safety and law and order situation in the state of Himachal Pradesh following this incident. BJP also mentioned “Gudiya Help-line” for ensuring women safety in its vision document.
On the contrary, Demonetization and the Goods and Service Tax (GST), measures of the Bjp-led government at the centre, have not gone down well with traders, who suffered hardships and delayed payments.
Another significant factor is infighting between the Congress party and senior party leader Vidya Stokes is out of the electoral fray this time. She is the daughter-in-law of American missionary Samuel Evan Stokes who introduced commercial varieties of apple, grown in parts of Mandi, Shimla, Kullu, Sirmaur and Kinnaur.
The term of the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly comes to an end on January 7, 2018 and the Assembly Election result will be decled on December, 18.