Thanks to the Election Commission’s sustained campaign to increase voting, Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday recorded approximately 66 percent polling, the highest ever in the state.
Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan said polling in all four Parliamentary constituencies had concluded peacefully, with no untoward incident reported. Polling which started slowly in the early hours picked up as the day progressed. While the Haroli Assembly segment recorded the highest percentage of 73.94 percent, Karsog saw the lowest trunout -- 53.23 percent. Voter turnout in Una district was 70.93 per cent.
The Hamirpur constituency recorded the highest percentage of polling and the lowest polling was reported from Shimla. Independent India’s first voter Shyam Saran Negi, 97, and his wife Heera Mani,88, cast their votes at the Kalpa polling station of Kinnaur district which is located at an altitude of around 10,500 feet above the sea level.
A retired school teacher, Negi was among the first to vote in the first Lok Sabha election on October, 25, 1951 in the Chini constituency which was later renamed as Kinnaur.“This time again I have not missed an opportunity to cast my valuable vote,” Negi said.