Record voting in Uttarakhand at 68%

UTTARAKHAND SAW the highest polling ever in the hill state’s short history, with the turnout estimated to reach the 70 per cent mark, as hundreds of people were still in queues in different constituencies when the official cutoff for polling polling wound up on Wednesday evening.

Calling it a “record for the state”, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, Radha Raturi, said, “There was around 68 per cent polling until 5 pm, and nearly 1.5 lakh people were still in queue at the time. The final figure will arrive tomorrow (Thursday) and is expected to be around 70 per cent.”

Maximum voting was recorded in Uttarkashi district (73 per cent), followed by Nainital and Haridwar (both 70 per cent). Almora (52 per cent) in Kumaon recorded the lowest polling until 5 pm.

The state had recorded 67.22 per cent voting in 2012 elections.

In 2012, Haridwar (75.35 per cent) had recorded maximum polling, followed by Uttarkashi (72.99 per cent).

Theelectioncommission(ec) had estimated that more than 800 booths located across 35 constituencies could be affected by snow. Pithoragarh is one of the state’s hilly districts, where polling officials often have to walk up to 30 km to reach some booths.

At a booth in Kichha, from where Chief Minister Harish Rawat of the Congress is contesting, BJP supporters alleged that they were unable to press the party's lotus symbol on the electronic voting machine.

PTI Sadhus of Juna Akhada outside a polling booth in Haridwar, Wednesday.