The Himachal Pradesh Assembly byelections are underway on Wednesday for the Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh constituencies, with voter turnout showing significant early engagement. As of 10 am, Nalagarh is leading the initial voter turnout with 16.48%, followed by Hamirpur at 15.71% and Dehra closely behind at 15.70%.
But all eyes are set on Dehra where stakes are high for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as his wife Kamlesh Thakur is fighting her maiden election against two-term former Independent MLA Hoshyar Singh, who is seeking re-election on the BJP ticket.
In Hamirpur, BJP candidate Ashish Sharma cast his vote at the Bohni booth, while Congress candidate Dr Pushpendra Verma voted at the Matani booth, urging citizens to participate actively in the democratic process. Despite heavy rainfall, voters in Nalagarh, including the elderly, braved the weather to exercise their franchise.
The voting process began early in the morning with long queues seen at several polling stations. Enhanced security measures are in place across the three constituencies, with 315 polling booths and 23 sensitive voting centers. Nalagarh alone has 121 polling booths and 14 sector officers appointed to ensure smooth voting.
In Nalagarh, five candidates are vying for the seat, including Congress’s Hardeep Singh Bawa and BJP’s KL Thakur. Meanwhile, the contest in Hamirpur features three candidates, with the main battle between BJP’s Ashish Sharma and Congress’s Dr. Pushpendra Verma.
Voting will continue until 6 pm today, with a total of 13 candidates competing across the three constituencies. The results, although crucial, will not alter the current majority held by the Congress, which has 38 out of 65 seats in the assembly. Post-election, the total number of seats will be 68, but Congress is expected to retain its majority.
