On a bright Sunday, people came out in record numbers, clocking 75% turnout in the elections to the 68-seat Himachal Pradesh assembly for which the ruling BJP and Congress are locked in a straight fight. While the high turnout could mean that both the parties succeeded in mobilizing their supporters, it could also signify a close finish as witnessed in Uttarakhand earlier this year.
Himachal is also being seen as a bellwether state, since there is perhaps less suspense about the likely outcome in Gujarat, which will go to the polls next. Both BJP and Congress have high stakes in Himachal and the surge in polling has predictably left both the parties claiming the advantage. This is the highest ever polling percentage in the state since it held its first election in 1972, a year after it was carved out of Punjab.
The state saw 74.51 % turnout in 2003. In 2007, the polling percentage was 71%. The BJP, with 43.7% of the popular votes, won 41 seats against the Congress' 38.9% votes which helped it emerge victorious in 23 seats. Independents won three seats and the BSP one.
BJP claimed the turnout showed people's power against UPA at a time of corruption, scams and price rise while the Congress said it was an anti-incumbency surge. Both parties will now have to wait till December 20 for the results.
The results of the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections will decide the political future of BJP's chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Congress boss Virbhadra Singh. Other parties like the BSP, NCP, CPM and CPI, too, have fielded candidates, while Trinamool Congress began its northern foray by fielding 28 candidates. There were 459 contestants.
BJP is hoping to script history in Himachal Pradesh by going the Punjab way, where the Akali Dal-BJP combine returned to power. Trends in the past five elections from 1990 show Himachal voters have opted for change in every poll.
In snowbound tribal areas of Himachal, massive participation of voters was witnessed and women outnumbered males. While tribal Lahaul-Spiti district recorded 75.05% polling, Kinnaur, which shares its boundary with China, registered 76.3% polling.
Kinnaur also witnessed a historical feat as independent India's first voter, Shyam Saran Negi, 90, cast his vote on Sunday - the 27th time in his life, including both general and assembly polls.
Polling for the 68 constituencies began in the morning at slow pace with only 9% voting recorded till 9am. It was only after the sun spread its warmth that the people came out in large numbers and brisk polling was seen in the afternoon.
Chief electoral officer Narinder Chauhan said polling concluded peacefully. "No untoward incident had been reported so far from any part of the state on poll day," he added.
Deputy election commissioner Alok Shukla said the EC took several steps to ensure a higher voter turnout by making use of multiple media sources. He said since counting is on December 20 after the Gujarat election, elaborate arrangements have been made to keep the EVMs under CCTV vigil guarded by paramilitary forces.
The electorate in Himachal Pradesh comprises 46,08,000 voters, including 22,31,000 women. A total of 7,253 polling stations were set up, including in Hikkim in Lahaul and Spiti at a height of over 15,000 feet. Of the 459 candidates, 34 are women.
