66.56 percent polling in Himachal till 1700 hrs

Shimla, June 1,

Approximately 66.56 percent of the 57.44 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the four Lok Sabha seats till 5 pm in the seventh and final phase of elections in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday.

In the by-poll, an average of around 65.44 percent voting has been recorded for the six assembly seats, Chief Electoral Officer Manish Garag said.

Polling began for the four Lok Sabha seats and by-election for six assembly seats at 0700 hrs this morning, and after ten, a moderate turnout was registered in the state.

According to HP Chief Electoral Officer Manish Garag, polling began in 7,992 polling stations, including 369 critical ones, in which around 57.44 lakh registered voters in the state are eligible for voting. Polling began on a mixed note, and in the Lok Sabha election, around 58.41 percent voting was recorded and in the Vidhan Sabha by-election, it was 56.89 percent till 3 pm.

According to the Election Commission, Shimla Parliamentary Constituency recorded around 67.50 percent turnout, Hamirpur 65.90 percent, Mandi 69.07 percent, and Kangra 64.07 percent till 1700 hours. For the Assembly, Lahaul Spiti district recorded 73.32 percent voting, Gagret 68.28 percent, Sujanpur 63 percent, Kutlehar 71.40 percent, Dharamshala 66.27 percent, and Badsar 50 percent.

The CEO exercised his right to vote at the Mehli-4 62/84 polling station, reaffirming the significance of active participation in the democratic process. 105-year-old Payra Singh cast his vote at Hatnalah polling station in Chamba district. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his family voted at Nadaun, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri at Haroli in Una district, Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his Union minister son Anurag Thakur along with the entire family cast their votes at Samirpur, Union Minister Shanta Kumar at Palampur, Public Works Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh at Rampur, and BJP candidate and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut at Bhamla village of Sarkaghat, Mandi where her ancestral house is.

In all, 62 candidates are in the fray for the four Lok Sabha and six assembly seats.