74 pc polling in Himachal, Dhumal expects more than 45 seats

New Delhi/Shimla, Nov 4: Himachal Pradesh recorded a whoppng 74 percent voter turnout today for the assembly elections from all 68 constituencies, Election Commission announced in Delhi. "The voter turnout was just nine percent in the first hour but by 12 noon, it rose to 30 percent and 60 percent by 3 p.m.," the state's Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan told IANS. The maximum turnout was in Kullu district (68 percent) followed by Sirmaur (66 percent), Chamba (62 percent), Solan, Bilaspur and Mandi (59 percent each), Shimla (58 percent) and Kangra district (56 percent), he said. Polling has been peaceful and no major untoward incident has been reported, except a minor clash between BJP and Congress workers at a polling station in Chamba town, election officials said. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal told mediapersons that he expected his party BJP to win more than 45 seats and retain power. "I thank the people and government employees of the state for a peaceful election. I feel, the elections will bring good news for all. I think we will win more than 45 seats. "The Congress mega rally in Delhi will have no effect on the elections here. State Congress leaders are ruing the selection of Virbhadra Singh as the state unit chief", said Dhumal.A record number of 459 candidates, including 27 women, were in the fray. The Election Commission had set up 7,253 polling stations for 46,08,359 electors, including 23,76,587 men. Congress leader and five-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh cast vote at his native place in Rampur town, around 120 km from here, while Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal exercised his franchise in Samirpur, now part of Bhoranj constituency. Virbhadra Singh is contesting the elections from Shimla (rural) and Dhumal from Hamirpur constituency. "We will form the government. This is my belief," Commerce Minister Anand Sharma told reporters after casting his ballot in Shimla.Taking a jibe at the BJP over its promise of giving induction stove to every household in the state if the party returned to power, Sharma said: "Who will pay for buying utensils required for induction stove? Will the BJP pay this? It is just misguiding the voters." Poll officials said Shyam Saran, 95, from Kalpa in Kinnaur district, the oldest voter in the state also cast his vote. Saran was among the first to vote after the country's independence in the 1951 general elections. The votes will be counted on Dec 20 alongwith Gujarat results. In 2007, the BJP won 41 seats, the Congress 23, the BSP one and Independents three. The lone BSP legislator later joined the BJP. At that time, the poll percentage was 71.61 percent: men 68.36 percent and women 74.01 percent.