A record 74.62% of the 4.6 million voters in Himachal Pradesh exercised their franchise in the Assembly election where ruling BJP and Congress are locked in a virtual straight contest.
After a slow start, polling for the 68-member Assembly picked up as the day progressed and the hill state witnessed a massive turnout.
As per the voting figures till 5pm, 74.62% polling had been registered in the state and the percentage was expected to go up.
The polling was violence-free.
The polling figure may cross the previous best of 74.51% registered in the state in 2003 as people waited to cast their ballot in 200 polling stations even after 5pm, the time of close of poll. The EC had taken several steps to ensure a higher voter turnout in the state by making use of multiple media sources. Since counting of votes would be held on December 20 after the Gujarat election, elaborate arrangements have been made to keep the EVMs under CCTV vigil and guarded by central paramilitary forces.
The electorate in Himachal Pradesh comprises 4.6 million voters, including 2.2 million women. 7,253 polling stations were set up, including in Hikkim in Lahaul and Spiti at a height of over 15,000 feet. In all, 459 candidates are in the fray, 34 of them being women.
The main contest is between the ruling BJP and the Congress which have put candidates in all the seats. Led by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, incumbent BJP is hoping to script history in Himachal Pradesh by going the Punjab way, where the Akali Dal-BJP combine returned to power. The state has never repeated a government since 1977.
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