Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Uttarakhand reported 35.21 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm for the 70 members Assembly elections on Monday, according to the Election Commission of India.
The polling in the hilly state started at 8 am and will end at 6 pm. Udham Singh Nagar reported the highest percentage of voter turnout at 6.64 per cent, followed by Haridwar (6.39 per cent) and state capital Dehradun (5.55 per cent).
Meanwhile, Almora reported 4.19 per cent, Bageshwar 2.31 per cent, Chamoli 3.49 per cent, Champawat 4.51 per cent, Nainital 5.50 per cent, Pauri Garhwal 2.51 per cent, Pithoragarh 4.55 per cent, Rudraprayag 5.41 per cent, Tehri Garhwal 4.36 per cent, and Uttarkashi reported 2.68 per cent.
Uttarakhand Chief Electoral Officer Soujanya said that the elections so far have been peaceful.
"Law and order situation is very peaceful. Forces are deployed everywhere as per plan. All polling parties had reached safely last night itself. The weather forecast for today is fine, so I hope it'll be peaceful," said Soujanya.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking to retain power in the hilly state while Congress is hoping for a comeback. Both the Congress and the BJP have battled political instability in the state in the last two decades after it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000 during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure.
The BJP's task is twin-fold-- beat the anti-incumbency and also the electoral trend of the incumbent government voted out in the state. Uttarakhand, incidentally, has seen 11 Chief Ministers in the last two decades.
The BJP has pitted fielded 11 cabinet Ministers and the state unit president Madan Kaushik. Incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is contesting for the third time from the Khatima Assembly seat and is facing Congress nominee Bhuwan Chandra Kapri.
Losing the last three elections in a row, Congress veteran Harish Rawat is now contesting from a new Assembly seat Lalkuwa.
The new entrant into Uttarakhand politics, Aam Aadmi Party has fielded candidates on all 70 Assembly seats, with its Chief Ministerial face being Ajay Kothiyal.
Voting also began in Goa and parts of Uttar Pradesh going to elections in the second phase on Monday at 7 am. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)
