Himachal bypolls: 78 per cent voter turnout in Jubbal-Kotkhai, 57 pc in Mandi

Shimla, Oct 30 (PTI) The Jubbal-Kotkhai Assembly segment registered the highest polling percentage of 78.75, while the lowest voter turnout of 57.73 per cent was recorded in the Mandi Lok Sabha segment in the bypolls to three Assembly seats and one parliamentary constituency in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, an election official said.

Mandi recorded a 57.73 per cent voter turnout, while the polling percentage in Fatehpur, Arki and Jubbal-Kotkhai was 66.2, 64.97 and 78.75 respectively, he added.

About 1,900 voters of the three panchayats in Kinnaur district boycotted the Mandi bypoll in protest against the construction of the Jangi Thopan Powari hydro-electric project.

As many as 1,080 voters of Rarang panchayat, over 500 voters of Jangi panchayat and 298 voters of Aakpa panchayat boycotted the bypoll.

Villagers under four polling stations of Runupu, Khori, Sharan and Jarashi in Shimla district also boycotted the Mandi bypoll in protest against the poor condition of roads in their areas.

Rampur Sub-Divisional Magistrate-cum-Assistant Returning Officer Yadvender Pal told PTI that not even a single voter exercised their franchise at the Runupu, Khori and Sharan polling stations, whereas only six voters cast their votes at the Jarashi polling station.

Opposition Congress sent a complaint to the Election Commission against the BJP MLA of Bharmour, accusing him of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and sought re-polling at a Mandi polling station.

Congress candidate Pratibha Singh's son and Shimla (Rural) MLA Vikramaditya Singh told reporters that the complaint against the Bharmour MLA was e-mailed to the commission by state Congress legal cell general secretary Pranay P Singh.

In his complaint, Pranay Singh alleged that the BJP MLA stood inside the polling station while votes were being cast in a bid to influence the voters, which is a violation of the MCC guidelines.

Meanwhile, the world's highest polling station at a height of 15,256 feet in Tashigang village recorded a 100 per cent voter turn out, despite a minimum temperature of minus 16 degrees Celsius, an election official said.

All the 47 registered voters -- 29 males and 18 females -- cast their votes, he added.

Besides, five poll officials cast their votes at the Tashigang polling booth after showing the election duty certificates (EDCs) issued to them by the assistant returning officers concerned, he said.

The first voter of independent India, 104-year-old Shyam Saran Negi, cast his vote in the Mandi bypoll at the model polling station of Kalpa in Kinnaur district.

Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan greeted Negi outside the polling station. A red carpet was laid by the district administration to welcome Negi, who first exercised his franchise in 1951. Traditional musical instruments were also played on the occasion. Negi said everyone should vote for the development of the country and for electing a clean government.

The bypolls were necessitated following the deaths of the elected representatives from these seats.

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Ram Swaroop Sharma and Narinder Bragta held the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and the Jubbal-Kotkhai Assembly seat respectively, while the Congress emerged victorious in Arki (Virbhadra Singh) and Fatehpur (Sujan Singh Pathania) in the last polls.

A direct contest is expected between the ruling BJP and the Congress on all the seats except Jubbal-Kotkhai, where rebel BJP candidate Chetan Singh Bragta is also in the fray as an Independent.

A direct contest is expected in Mandi between Pratibha Singh, the wife of late chief minister Virbhadra Singh, and Kargil war hero Brigadier Khushal Singh Thakur of the BJP.

A total of six candidates, including Ambika Shyam of the Rashtriya Lokniti Party, Munshi Ram Thakur of the Himachal Jankranti Party and Independents Anil Kumar and Subhash Mohan Snehi, are in the fray in Mandi.

Twelve other candidates are trying their luck from Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai.

Rebel BJP candidate Chetan Singh Bragta is seen to be giving a tough fight to the saffron party's Neelam Seraik and former MLA Rohit Thakur of the Congress in Jubbal-Kotkhai, where four candidates, including Independent Suman Kadam, are in the fray.

A direct contest is likely between the BJP's Rattan Singh Pal and the Congress's Sanjay in Arki, where Independent candidate Jeet Ram is also trying his luck.

In Fatehpur, the main contest is expected between Baldev Thakur of the BJP and Bhawani Singh Pathania of the Congress.

In Fatehpur, Pankaj Kumar Darshi of the Himachal Jankranti Party and independents Ashok Kumar Somal and Rajan Sushant are also in the fray.

The Mandi seat fell vacant after BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma was found hanging in his official residence in New Delhi on March 17.

Former state minister and Fatehpur Congress MLA Sujan Singh Pathania, former minister and Jubbal-Kotkhai MLA Narinder Bragta and former chief minister and Arki MLA Virbhadra Singh died in February, June and July respectively.

The counting of the votes will be taken up on November 2. PTI DJI RC