The fate of 97 candidates from Uttarakhand (52) and Himachal Pradesh (45) contesting Lok Sabha election 2019 will be decided on Thursday. The counting of votes will start at 8 am for the nine seats in Uttarakhand (five) and Himachal Pradesh (four). While polling for the Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand took place on April 11, in the first phase of the election, the electorates in Himachal Pradesh cast their vote on May 19, in the last and seventh phase.
Watch Live Streaming of Lok Sabha Election 2019 for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
The five constituencies are witnessing a straight contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. The saffron party is looking to defend all the seats. Prominent candidates are former chief minister Harish Rawat, sitting MPs Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Ajay Tamta, Trivendra Singh Rawat, Manish Khanduri, Pradeep Tamta, and Ramesh Pokhriyal. Over 57 per cent of the electorate cast their vote with Nainital recording the highest voter turnout. Out of the total 11,229 polling booths, 697 were identified as sensitive and 656 as highly sensitive. The fate of the candidates will be decided on Thursday when counting of votes takes place.
In Himachal Pradesh, over 53 lakh voters exercised their franchise for the 45 candidates in the fray. The main contest is between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress. Prominent candidates include Anurag Thakur, Aashray Sharma, Ram Swaroop Sharma, Kishan Kapoor, and Ram Lal Thakur. Over 71 per cent of the electorate cast their vote with Mandi recording the highest voter turnout. The Election Commission (EC) has set up 7,723 polling stations across the state for smooth conduct of polls. The fate of the candidates will be decided on Thursday when counting of votes will take place.
