In Himachal Pradesh today conducted Assembly polls 74% voter turnout recorded, counting of votes happens on December 18.

The Congress and the BJP have fielded candidates on all 68 seats, while the BSP and the CPI-M have fielded 42 and 14 candidates respectively.

Polling across all 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh ended today peacefully at 5pm. According to the EC’s data, till 4pm, 64.8 per cent polling has been recorded.

Voters across the state started reaching polling stations even before polling started at 8 am despite the cold in the single phase election.

A total of 337 candidates, 19 of them women, are in the fray. There are 112 Independent candidates.

The main contest is between the ruling Congress and the BJP. The Congress has projected incumbent Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh as its chief ministerial candidate, while Prem Kumar Dhumal is the BJP's. Both are contesting the elections. Both Singh and Dhumal cast their votes along with family members at their hometowns Rampur and Samirpur, respectively.

The Hikkim polling station in Lahaul-Spiti district, the country's highest polling booth at 14,567 ft, has 194 voters. 01 males and 93 females.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm among the villagers, even though voting started on a sluggish note. The freezing cold temperature in the area is one of the reasons that people don’t venture out in the morning,” says Mohan Singh, booth level officer in Hikkim polling booth. “We encouraged people to vote in large numbers.”

The booth recorded almost equal number of male and female voters today 84 men and 80 women.

Lack of proper health facilities is major concern for them. “It’s our long-pending demand that the village should have at least a health centre,” says Tenzin villager.

In the 2007, Hikkim registered 83% polling and in 2012 the polling percentage was 84%.

In Lahaul and Spiti we have decided to reward the villages with good voting percentage,” says deputy commissioner Dewa Singh Negi.

Ka, a polling booth in Kinnaur district, which has the lowest number of voters – six – again recorded 100% polling.