Moderate to brisk polling recorded in Himachal till 11 AM

SHIMLA: Moderate to brisk polling was reported during first four hours in Himachal with 18 to 25 per cent voters exercising their franchise by 11 AM.

Long queues of voters with large number of woman were seen at polling booths in several places and inspite of harvesting season polling was moderate in rural areas.

Polling was heavy in Rohroo and Jubbal and Kotkhai in Shimla district which recorded 33 and 30 per cent polling while polling was 21 per cent in Shimla town.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh, Congress candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat cast their vote in Rampur, former Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Kangra, Shanta kumar exercised his franchise in Palampur.

Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his son Anurag Thakur contesting from Hamirpur, accompanied by family members cast their vote at Samirpur while Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma caste his vote in Shimla.

Polling was brisk in Kullu, Nalagarh, Haroli, Una and some other places in the morning but it picked up after 9 AM at most of the places.

The voters at Solang Nallah in Kullu have announced to boycott the polls and efforts were being made by the administration to persuade them to end their protest.

In Hamirpur district 25 per cent voters cast their votes while Mandi district also recorded 25 to 30 per cent in first four hours.

Elaborate arrangements have been made for polling and model booths have been set up in every constituency and foreign delegates also visited the model polling booth in Shimla and appreciated the voters.