Himachal Pradesh elections: Voting underway in hill state; PM Modi, CM Thakur urge voters to turn up

Voters across Himachal Pradesh queued up outside polling booths on Saturday to elect a new state government, a crucial test for the BJP hoping to beat precedent and return to power as well as for the Congress looking for electoral revival.

Voting began at 8 am on a slow note in the hill state but began to pick up as the morning progressed and the winter chill eased a bit. The polling will continue till 5 pm in all 68 assembly constituencies.

In an early morning message to voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them to enthusiastically participate in the "festival of democracy" and register a voting record. In a tweet, Modi also greeted the young voters who will be exercising their franchise for the first time.

Chief Minister Jairam Thakur echoed him and said every vote will help build a prosperous Himachal Pradesh.

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"First vote, then refreshments. Dear fellow state residents, today is the day of voting. My humble request to all voters of Himachal Pradesh is to participate in this festival of democracy with full enthusiasm," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

"Vote in huge numbers, your one vote will help build a prosperous Himachal," he added.

More than 55 lakh voters in the state will decide the fate of 412 candidates, including Thakur, former chief minister Virbhadhra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh and former BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti.