After a wait of over two months, Himachal Pradesh is voting on Saturday (June 1, 20204) for the Lok Sabha elections for four seats and bypoll to six Assembly constituencies.
Noticeable enthusiasm was seen among young people, women and the elderly. Voters began lining up even before 7 am, the official time for beginning voting.
In this 2024 electoral battle, 57 lakh voters will cast their franchise for all four of the state’s Lok Sabha seats and six Assembly seats. The Lok Sabha constituencies of Mandi, Kangra, Shimla and Hamirpur, along with the Assembly constituencies of Dharamshala, Lahaul-Spiti, Kutlehar, Gagret, Barsar and Sujanpur are in focus.
In the 2019 elections, a record 72.42% voter turnout was achieved, while the 2022 Assembly elections saw an even higher turnout of 75.78%. The Election Commission aims to surpass a 76% turnout in this Lok Sabha election.
The state has established 7,992 polling booths, with voting taking place from 7 am to 6 pm. Among these, 279 are model polling booths, 195 are run by women and 54 by young officials. Additionally, 54 booths in remote areas are managed by youth and differently abled individuals.
In Chamba district’s Seikothi polling booth, an EVM malfunctioned during a mock poll but was promptly replaced by the polling team.
Meanwhile, voters in the Chintpurni Assembly constituency were already in line by 6.30 pm. Long queues were seen at the Jabli polling centre in Kasauli from early morning. A large number of voters were also spotted waiting their turn in Jubbal-Kotkhai’s Dharkalala.
