Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections : Amit Shah Urges ‘Mothers, Sisters, Youth’ To Vote In Maximum Number
Himachal Pradesh is voting today for the crucial assembly elections to elect the next government of the hill state.
More than 5 million voters will decide the fate of various political parties, which have fielded 412 candidates for 68 assembly constituencies in the single-phase polls.
The voting has commenced and will end at 5pm, with 7,884 polling stations spread across Himachal Pradesh. Of these, 7,235 stations are in rural regions while 646 are in urban pockets of the northern state. Additionally, as many as three auxiliary polling stations have been set up in far flung areas of the hill state by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
An official said that 140 polling stations in Lahaul and Spiti districts along with Chamba and Kinnaur are snowbound. There was fresh snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh on Friday.
Multiple security forces have been deployed in the state for today’s elections, including 67 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 25,000 state police officers. Teams from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) comprising 800 personnel have been posted as well.
The state has a total of 5,592,828 registered voters, of which, 2,854,945 are men and 2,737,845 are women. In the previous assembly polls in 2017, Himachal Pradesh saw a turnout of 75.57 per cent electors.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to retain power in the hill state, and break the tradition of alternative governments noticed since 1982. The Congress party is relying on its ‘10 guarantees’ that it has promised in its poll manifesto. These include revival of old pension scheme, the state’s women receiving a monthly compensation of ₹1,500, free electricity up to 300 units, free medical treatment in every village through mobile clinics and employment opportunities for 5 lakh youth, among others.
Arvind Kejriwal-headed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also in the race, striving to make inroads into Himachal Pradesh.
The BJP had whitewashed the 2017 elections, winning 44 of the 68 seats while Congress managed to bag only 21.
The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on December 8.