CHANDIGARH: Polling for four Lok Sabha seats and six assembly by-elections began across Himachal on Saturday morning. As many as 62 candidates, including 37 for Lok Sabha and 25 for assembly by-elections, are in the fray.
Prominent leaders whose fate will be sealed in these elections include Anurag Thakur (BJP), Anand Sharma (Congress), Bollywood actor Kangna Ranaut (BJP), Vikramaditya Singh (Congress) and sitting BJP MP from Shimla (SC) Suresh Kashyap.
Polling is being held for four Lok Sabha seats Hamirpur, Mandi, Kangra and Shimla besides by-elections for six assembly constituencies of Sujanpur, Dharamshala, Lahaul and Spiti, Barsar, Gagret and Kutlehar.
The campaign witnessed a new low in the state as political leaders used indecent language and made personal attacks.
Adequate deployment of security forces has been made at 7,992 polling booths and two auxiliary polling stations while 369 polling booths have been identified as critical.
The polling, which started at 7.00 am, will end at 6.00 pm. As many as 57,11,969 voters, including 438 voters above the age of 100 years, are eligible to vote.
The voter turnout in Himachal Pradesh was 80.1 per cent in 2019 and Mandi had recorded the highest polling at 82.3 per cent, followed by Kangra 80.9 per cent and Hamirpur and Shimla (SC) 79.9 per cent.