Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election 2022 Live Updates: A voter turnout of 65.92 percent was recorded till 5 pm in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, polling for which is underway on Saturday, 12 November.
The highest voter turnout has been recorded in Mandi district, home to Chief Minister Jairam Thakur. In addition to the CM, BJP President JP Nadda, Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh, and Union Minister Anurag Thakur are among those who have cast their votes in the poll so far.
The state is hosting a bipolar electoral battle between the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also entering the fray for the first time.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and his family members show their fingers marked with indelible ink after casting their vote in the Assembly elections, at a polling station in Mandi district.
(Photo: PTI)
Voting in the polls began at 8 am and will end at 5 pm on Saturday.
Seraj, Haroli, Mandi, Shimla Rural, and Hamirpur are among the key seats going to polls.
BJP's sitting CM Jairam Thakur is contesting from Seraj, where the Congress has fielded former Milkfed chairperson Chet Ram Thakur.
The results of the elections will be declared following the counting of votes on 8 December.
There are 68 constituencies in the hill state, so a party will need to secure 35 seats in order to ensure majority.
The BJP had won majority with 44 seats in the 2017 Assembly election in the state, while the Congress had garnered 21 seats.
65.92% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 5 PM
A voter turnout of 65.92 percent was recorded in the Himachal Pradesh polls till 5 pm.
Districtwise Polling Figures
Districtwise, the highest polling percentage was recorded in the Lahaul and Spiti district, at 62.75 percent, followed by Sirmour (60.38 percent) and Mandi (58.9 percent).
Voting Ends
Voting in the Himachal Pradesh election has come to an end. The final voter turnout is expected to be announced shortly.
70% Polling Recorded In Seraj
The highest polling recorded till 3 pm was in Seraj (70 percent), and the lowest in Bhoranj (45 percent).