The voter turnout in Himachal Pradesh elections Thursday stood at 74, the highest ever in the state, the Election Commission said.
The figure was till 5pm and the final voter turnout may be revised as final figures are yet to be tallied. Voting was still on in about 500 polling booths.
The previous highest voter turnout of 73.5% was recorded in the 2012 Himachal Pradesh elections, deputy election commissioner Sandeep Saxena said. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, it was 64.45%.
At a press conference, Saxena said the elections were peaceful and no incident of violence was reported. A total of 11,283 VVPAT units were used in all polling booths of the 68 constituencies out of which 297 were replaced, Saxena said, adding this was well within the technical limits.
BJP confident of victory
The BJP, meanwhile, expressed confidence of getting a huge majority, claiming that the tally of the incumbent Congress would be reduced to single digit in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly.
“People have given their mandate. The five-year corrupt rule of chief minister Virbhadra Singh is going to end. We will get over 60 seats and the Congress tally will be confined to singe digit. It will disappear from the state after results are announced,” BJP media head Anil Baluni said.
The Congress is currently ruling Himachal Pradesh, and the BJP is eyeing to return to power after a gap of five years. In the outgoing 68-member assembly, the Congress and the BJP have 35 and 28 MLAs respectively. There are four Independent MLAs while one seat was vacant. The Himachal Pradesh election results are scheduled to be announced on 18 December.
By Mint
