Assembly bypolls underway in HP

Voters in both the constituencies--Rohru in Shimla district and Jawali in Kangra district--were seen standing in queues outside the polling stations even before voting started at 0800hrs.

State Chief Electoral Officer Anil Khachi told UNI the polling process started peacefully and well in time at all the polling booths. It would continue till 1700hrs.

A total 145,957 voters are eligible to decide the fate of eight candidates, including four Independents, on both the seats.

The main contest is between the opposition Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. While the Rohru seta fell vacant after five-time former Cheif Minister Virbhadra Singh of the Congress was elected to the Lok Sabha, the bypoll in Jawali was necessitated due to election of Rajan Sushant of the BJP to Parliament.

Congress has fielded former minister Sujan Singh Pathania against BJP's Baldev Raj Chaudhary from Jawali. BJP rebel Madan Sharma is also contesting from Jawali as an Independent candidate. From Rohru, the BJP has pitted Khushi Ram Bainatah against Manjit Singh of the Congress.

Congress leaders, including Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, state chief Kaul Singh Thakur and legisltaive party cheif Vidya Stokes campaigned for the party. BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, former Union Minister Shanta Kumar and Sushant, held rallies in both the constituencies.

Chief Electoral Officer Khachi said 209 polling parties had been deployed in both the constituencies. ''In Rohru, a polling party trudged 14 km to reach the polling booth in Pandar in the interiors of Dodra Kawar,'' he said.

According to him, 24 and 17 polling stations had been declared as hyper sensitive in Rohru and Jawali, respectively.

The BJP had fared well in the May general elections, winning three of the four parliamentary sets in the state.

-- (UNI) -- 07DR13.xml

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