Voting for the crucial Himachal Pradesh elections is underway after officials conducted a mock poll at all booths to check EVMs. More than 55 lakh voters in the hill state will decide the fate of 412 candidates in 68 assembly constituencies. Twenty-four women candidates are in the fray this time. Of the total voters, 28,54,945 are male and 27,37,845 are female voters in the state.

Himachal Pradesh's Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg said all arrangements are in place for the polling. "All 7,884 polling parties have reached the polling stations and set up the polling booths. They are accompanied by security forces. Nearly 50,000 polling staff and around 25,000 security staff have been deployed," he said.

Here are the highlights from Himachal Pradesh elections 2022:

# Voting in Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections concludes. Counting to be held December 8.

Voting in Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections concludes.EVMs and VVPATs being sealed and secured at polling booths in Dharamshala and ShimlaCounting of votes on December 8 pic.twitter.com/PF2wWWhgtD

— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2022

# 51 out of 52 voters voted in the world's highest polling station booth in Tashigang, Himachal Pradesh. 98.08 percent voter turnout has been recorded.

# 55 percent voter turnout is recorded in Himachal Pradesh till 3 pm.

# Voter turnout recorded at 37.19 percent till 1 pm.

# 157 polling stations across the state are such that are being managed solely by women staff. In Hamirpur district, crèche facility has also been made available so that those who come with children do not have to face any issue: CEC Rajiv Kumar

# Himachal Pradesh records 17.98 percent voter turnout by 11 am, says EC.

# Congress MP Anand Sharma cast his vote at Sainik Rest House Longwood, Shimla, polling station.

# Former Himachal Pradesh CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, his son & Union Minister Anurag Thakur, and their family cast their votes.

Former Himachal Pradesh CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, his son & Union Minister Anurag Thakur and their family cast their votes for #HimachalPradeshElections.

Visuals from a polling station in Samirpur, Hamirpur. pic.twitter.com/D0vgw0ncxY— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2022

# BJP chief JP Nadda and his wife Mallika Nadda cast their votes at a polling station in Vijaypur, Bilaspur.

# Only 4 percent voting was recorded in the first hour of polling, say EC sources.

# The poll is being contested to take the state forward and change its condition. This isn't just about Congress leaders and workers but about the future of the state. The current government suppressed and overlooked the voices of all sections of society, says Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh.

Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh and her son & party MLA Vikramaditya Singh cast their votes for #HimachalPradeshElections, in Rampur, Shimla. pic.twitter.com/ptIsIXlRRw

— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2022

Also read | Full list of BJP, Congress candidates

# Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Himachal Pradesh voters to enthusiastically participate in the "festival of democracy", a reference to the assembly polls, and register a voting record. In a tweet, Modi also greeted the young voters who will be exercising their franchise for the first time.

हिमाचल प्रदेश की सभी विधानसभा सीटों के लिए आज मतदान का दिन है। देवभूमि के समस्त मतदाताओं से मेरा निवेदन है कि वे लोकतंत्र के इस उत्सव में पूरे उत्साह के साथ भाग लें और वोटिंग का नया रिकॉर्ड बनाएं। इस अवसर पर पहली बार वोट देने वाले राज्य के सभी युवाओं को मेरी विशेष शुभकामनाएं।

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 12, 2022

# Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur, his wife Sadhana and daughters Chandrika and Priyanka Thakur offer prayers in Mandi, ahead of casting their votes.

# Amit Shah appeals to women, youth to vote in maximum numbers to elect a strong government.

# People queue up at the polling stations to exercise their franchise.

Himachal Pradesh | People cast their votes in Shimla for the #AssemblyElections2022

Voting should be taken more as a responsibility; today's generation takes it very lightly. There should be more progress & more facilities should be given in rural areas, said a voter pic.twitter.com/tLhkzQY4mW— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2022

# The voting is scheduled from 8 am to 5 pm.

# The Election Commission has 7,884 polling stations, including three auxiliary voting stations in far-flung areas. Of these, 789 are vulnerable booths and 397 critical ones.

# The EC has set up its highest booth in Tashigang, Kaza in Spiti area of Lahaul Spiti district at a height of 15,256 feet that would cater to 52 voters.

# The 2017 assembly election saw a record 75.57 percent polling.

First Published:Nov 12, 2022 8:33 AM IST