Himachal voters brave cold, snow: 66% polling
Voters wade through snow as they make way to the polling station to cast their votes for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections on Saturday
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of nearly 66 per cent on Saturday, the Election Commission said citing provisional polling figures till 5 pm for the assembly elections, a crucial test for the BJP hoping to beat precedent and return to power as well as for the Congress looking for electoral revival.
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.
Voting began at 8 am on a slow note but picked up as the day progressed and the sun warmed the winter chill. In the first hour, around five per cent turnout was recorded, while by 11 am, it was 17.98 per cent.
It notched up to 37.19 per cent by 1 pm and 55.65 per cent till 3 pm. Till 5 pm, a 65.92 per cent turnout was recorded, according to provisional polling data released by the Election Commission (EC).