Himachal Pradesh, where the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in an aggressive direct fight, recorded a voter turnout of 55.65 per cent till 3 pm on Saturday, news agency PTI reported.The state recorded only five per cent voter turnout in the first hour. Till 1 pm, 37.19 per cent polling was recorded. The highest polling of 41.89 per cent was recorded in Sirmour district, followed by 41.17 percent in Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur.
The high altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti recorded the lowest of 21.95 per cent while Chamba saw 28.35 per cent voting till 1 pm. It is a crucial test for the BJP hoping to beat precedent and return to power as well as for the Congress looking for electoral revival. Voting began at 8 am on a slow note with an Election Commission official saying only four per cent polling was registered till 9 am. It began to pick up as the morning progressed and the winter chill eased a bit. Polling will continue till 5 pm in all 68 assembly constituencies.