Shimla:
Polling for the 68 state assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh has come to an end. More than 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm after a sluggish start to polling.
"The voter turnout was just nine per cent in the first hour but by 12 noon, it rose to 30 per cent and 60 per cent by 3 pm," the state's Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan told IANS.
The maximum turnout was in Kullu district (68 per cent) followed by Sirmaur (66 per cent), Chamba (62 per cent), Solan, Bilaspur and Mandi (59 per cent each), Shimla (58 per cent) and Kangra district (56 per cent), he said.
Polling has been peaceful and no major untoward incident has been reported, except a minor clash between BJP and Congress workers at a polling station in Chamba town, election officials said.
Officials said there was no report of any delay in starting the poll process. The polling will end at 5 pm.
The officials expected heavy polling since the weather is clear and sunny.
A record number of 459 candidates, including 27 women, are in the fray.
The Election Commission has set up 7,253 polling stations for 46,08,359 electors, including 23,76,587 men.
The main contest is between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Congress leader and five-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh cast vote at his native place in Rampur town, around 120 km from Shimla, while Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal exercised his franchise in Samirpur, now part of Bhoranj constituency.
Virbhadra Singh is contesting the elections from Shimla (rural) and Dhumal from Hamirpur constituency.
Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma also cast vote in the state capital.
"We will form the government. This is my belief," Mr Sharma told reporters after casting his ballot.
Taking a jibe at the BJP over its promise of giving induction stove to every household in the state if the party returned to power, Mr Sharma said, "Who will pay for buying utensils required for induction stove? Will the BJP pay this? It is just misguiding the voters."
Poll officials said 95-year-old Shyam Saran from Kalpa in Kinnaur district is the oldest voter in the state to cast his vote. Mr Saran was among the first to vote after the country's independence in the 1951 general elections.
The votes will be counted Dec 20.
In 2007, the BJP won 41 seats, the Congress 23, the BSP one and Independents three. The lone BSP legislator later joined the BJP.