M A I N   N E W S

HP goes to polls today
A day of reckoning for 391 candidates
Tribune News Service and Agencies

Shimla, February 25
As many as 39,82,811 voters will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 391 candidates for 65 Assembly constituencies scheduled to go to the polls on February 26.

There are 68 seats in the Assembly. However, the polling for three snow-bound tribal seats of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Bharmour will be held on June 8.

Polling officials checks electronic voting machines in a polling station at Theog, 45 km north of Shimla, on Tuesday. — Photo Amin War

The prominent BJP leaders in the fray include Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, and Mr Jai Krishan Sharma, state party chief. Mr Dhumal is again contesting from Bamsen. He is facing his old rival Mr Kuldeep Pathania in virtually a straight contest. Mr Jai Krishan Sharma is locked in a multi-cornered contest in Santokhgarh where besides Mr Mukesh Agnihotri of the Congress, Mr Vijay Joshi of the HVC and Mr Jagroop Chaudhary, a Congress rebel, are also in the arena.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, a former Chief Minister, is again facing Mr Khushi Ram Balnatah in Rohru. While Mrs Vidya Stokes, Pradesh Congress Committee chief, who shifted to Kumarsain from her traditional Theog seat, is involved in a multi-cornered fight. Mr Sat Mahajan, a former PCC chief, is contesting from Nurpur.

Mr Gulab Singh, Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, who won as a Congress candidate in the last election is in the fray as a BJP nominee from the Jogindernagar seat.

The electronic voting machines will be used for the first time in all constituencies in the state. In all 5,934 polling stations have been set up, of which 548 have been declared as hypersensitive and 1,018 sensitive. Over 40,000 employees have been deployed on the election duty, besides 13,000 police and home guard personnel. In addition 10 companies of paramilitary forces have been requisitioned to man the hypersensitive and sensitive polling stations.

The state has been divided into 146 sectors for the smooth conduct of the poll. Each sector is headed by a Magistrate, who is assisted by 514 sector officers and 1,629 vehicles. A wireless network linking 12 districts and 46 subdivisional headquarters has been set up.

The voter identity card has not been made mandatory and the Election Commission had notified 17 documents like a driving licence, a ration card and college or office identity cards for establishing the identity.

State Chief Electoral Officer Manisha Nanda said all arrangements had been made for conducting free and fair elections in the state.

The BJP and the Congress are contesting all 65 seats followed by the HVC (45), the Samajwadi Party (18), the BSP and the Lok Janshakti Party (23 each), the CPM (three), the CPI (seven) and the Nationalist Congress Party (14). Besides, there are also nominees of the Himachal Loktantrik Morcha and 109 Independents in the fray.

In Mandi constituency, Mr Sukh Ram is locked in a five-cornered contest. He is pitted against Ms Kiran Kumar of the BJP and Mr Durga Dutt of the Congress.

In the dissolved Assembly, the BJP had a strength of 33 members, the HVC two, the Congress 26, Independent one, unattached one and the Speaker one. Four seats were vacant.

Carrying of weapons has been banned throughout the state and liquor shops closed till the completion of the polling.

The polling will start at 8.00 am and end at 5.00 pm. Fortysix places have been earmarked where the EVMs will be kept under tight security after the polling.