Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election 2017 LIVE: BJP, Congress lock horns in 68 constituencies

11,500 Himachal Pradesh police jawans, 6400 Home guards, 65 companies of paramilitary forces deployed across the state for the assembly election.

Polling for all the 68 constituencies begins in Himachal Pradesh assembly elections
 

Prem Kumar Dhumal, BJP's CM candidate says,

"We aimed to get 50 plus seats but now that we are receiving so much support from all sections of the society, we expect it to cross 60"

READ: Himachal Elections 2017: Here Everything You Need To Know As Himachal Goes To Polls
 

Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur says, 

"Time has come, people have made up their mind to get rid of Congress who has looted Himachal Pradesh. The state needs a senior leader like Dhumal ji to look at the affairs of Himachal which is under the debt of more than Rs 50,000 crore"

Virbhadra Singh says, 

Confident of getting majority in the election, the next Government too will be of Congress

BJP's chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal and BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur cast their votes.

Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya cast their votes at a polling booth in Shimla.
 

Earlier on Thursday, PM Modi took to Twitter and wrote, "Today is a day of polling in God's land Himachal Pradesh. I appeal all the voters to participate in the celebrations of democracy and cast their votes in large numbers. Urging people of Himachal Pradesh to vote in record numbers."