Shimla: Himachal Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of about 75.2 per cent on Saturday, the Election Commission said.
From capital Shimla to the icy heights of Spiti, people across the state voted braving cold and in the higher reaches of mountains trudging through snow to elect a new state government.
Voters across Himachal Pradesh queued up outside polling booths on Saturday to elect a new state government. It is a crucial test for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as they hope to beat a trend under which the ruling party is voted out of power in every election.
At the same time Congress is looking for electoral revival and badly needs a win to reverse the recent trend of reversals in assembly polls.
Voting started at 8 am on a slow note but began to pick up as the morning progressed and the winter chill eased somewhat.
Over 55 lakh voters in the hill state will decide the fate of 412 candidates, including CM Jairam Thakur, former chief minister Virbhadhra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh and former BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti.
Twenty-four women candidates are in the fray this time. Of the total voters, 28,54,945 are male and 27,37,845 female voters in the state.
In an early morning message to voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to enthusiastically participate in the "festival of democracy" and register a voting record.
"First vote, then refreshments. Dear fellow state residents, today is the day of voting. My humble request to all voters of Himachal Pradesh is to participate in this festival of democracy with full enthusiasm," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
"Vote in huge numbers, your one vote will help build a prosperous Himachal," he added.
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