19 per cent polling recorded in Uttarakhand till 11 am

Dehradun, February 14

Long queues of voters were seen outside polling booths as polling began on Monday at 8 am to the 70 assembly seats spread over 13 districts of Uttarakhand.

By 11 am, 18.97 per cent polling was recorded in the state, election commission officials here said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Aam Aadmi Party’s chief ministerial candidate Col Ajay Kothiyal (retd), Leader of Opposition in the fourth assembly Pritam Singh, Yoga guru Ramdev, and Niranjani Akhara Mahamandaleshwar Kailashanand Brahmachari were among the first to cast their votes.

Dhami cast his vote in Khatima, Trivendra in Dehradun, Kothiyal in Uttarkashi and Ramdev at a polling booth in Kankhal in Haridwar.

Talking to reporters after casting his vote, Ramdev appealed to people to come out in large numbers to exercise their right to franchise. He also asked them to rise above cast, creed and religious considerations to vote for a strong nation and its interests.

This is the fifth assembly polls being held in the politically volatile hill state since its creation in 2000.

A public holiday has been declared by the administration for the single-day polling in the state.

The ruling BJP is seeking a consecutive second term in office in the state while the Congress is trying to make a comeback after being routed at the hands of the BJP in the 2017 assembly polls.

The Aam Aadmi Party has also thrown its hat in the ring this time.