Thaindian News

Dehra Dun, Jan 30 (IANS) Polling for assembly polls in Uttarakhand Monday was going on peacefully but slowly with queues forming at the booths after the morning chill subsided.

State election commission officials said only 10 percent of the electorate had cast their vote in the first two hours of polling.

The figure had only gone to twenty percent polling till 12 noon but was expected to pick up pace in the afternoon.

Voting began across 9,806 polling booths at 8 a.m. Monday, officials said. Some 6.3 million people are eligible to exercise their franchise in the state’s third assembly polls.

Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri and former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank were among those who cast their votes.

Khanduri was brought back as chief minister by the BJP last year in a move aimed at improving its prospects in the assembly polls following allegations of corruption against the Nishank government.

Khanduri, a BJP candidate from Kotdwar, is pitted against Congress nominee Surendra Singh Negi.

Congress has not named its chief ministerial candidate in the hill state but there are several aspirants to the post. Leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat and state Congress chief Yashpal Arya are among the more than 780 candidates in the fray.

Both the BJP and Congress have rebels in the fray.

Polling will continue till 5 p.m.

Along with Uttarakhand, voting is also taking place for assembly polls in Punjab.

Votes will be counted March 6.