The campaign for the November 9 Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh came to an end on Tuesday evening. Demonstrations, slogan-shouting and public meetings have been banned in the hill State from November 7 to 10, and probibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure imposed.
The 50,25,941 voters of the State will decide the fate of 337 candidates, both party candidates and Independents.
Of the 7,525 polling booths, 983 have been categorised as sensitive and 399 as hyper-sensitive.
One candidate from the Barsar constituency died on Sunday, but polling will go on as he did not belong to a recognised party.
The overall number of candidates has come down to 338 from 459 in the elections in 2012.
There will be 25,31,321 men and 24,57,032 women voters in the State. Fourteen transgender persons will be exercising their franchise, the State Election Commission said.
The Commission said web-casting would be used in 2,307 polling stations in the State for live monitoring of polling activities in the State.
Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi, addresses an election rally in Nagrota, 40 km (25 miles) south of Dharmsala, India, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. Rahul Gandhi spoke to a crowd ahead of the Himachal Pradesh state elections scheduled for November 9. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
The BJP and the Congress are contesting all 68 seats; Communist Party of India three; Communist Party of India (Marxist) 14; Bahujan Samaj Party 42; Nationalist Congress Party and Samajwadi Party two each; Swabhiman Party and Lok Gathban Party six each; Rashtriya Azad Manch four; the All India Forward Bloc and Samaj Adhikar Kalyan Party two each; and Nav Bharat Ekta Dal, Bhartiya Himachal Jan Vikas Party, All India Manavadhikar Rajnaithik Dal, Bahujan Mukti Party, Janral Samaj Party and Rashtravadi Pratap Sena one each.
All voters have elector ID cards. There are 7,525 electronic voting machines (EVMs) with 7,525 voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units. The VVPAT machines are being used for the first time in the Assembly elections in the State; 10% of the EVMs and VVPATs have been kept in reserve. The Election Commission has also allowed the electors to cast their vote by producing any one document out of the 12 identity documents.
Highest booth
The Hikkim polling station in the Lahaul and Spiti Assembly constituency is situated at 14,567 feet, the highest, and has 194 voters. The Ghaluwal polling station of 43-Haroli Assembly constituency is situated at 328 feet, the lowest, having 985 electors.
The Sullah Assembly constituency in Kangra district has the highest of 96,145 voters and Lahaul and Spiti the lowest of 23,231. The polling station of the Kinnaur Assembly constituency has just six voters, whereas the Gukul polling station of the Kasauli Assembly constituency of Solan district has 1,390. The Shakti polling station in the 24-Banjar Assembly constituency of Kullu district has a longest distance of 18 km to be covered by foot. The Shakti polling Station has 84 electors.
The counting for all 68 Assembly constituencies will simultaneously start at 8 a.m. on December 18.
