This Article is From Feb 15, 2017

Uttarakhand Election 2017: 68% Overall Voter Turnout In 69 Assembly Constituencies As Voting Ends

Uttarakhand Election 2017: 68% Overall Voter Turnout In 69 Assembly Constituencies As Voting Ends

Uttarakhand Election 2017: Voting ends in all 69 assembly seats; Harish Rawat speaks to NDTV after voting

Dehradun: Voting has ended in Uttarakhand's 69 constituencies spread across 13 districts (7 in Garhwal region and the remaining 6 in Kumaon region of the state). Residents of Uttarakhand voted today to decide who will form the next government in the state. The overall voter turnout was 68%, which is 1.2% higher than the 2012 Assembly election (66.8%). The BJP is hoping to unseat the ruling Congress government of Chief Minister Harish Rawat, which is battling corruption charges. Out of a total of 70 constituencies, 69 have voted today and 1 constituency - Karnaprayag will vote on March 9 because of the untimely death of BSP candidate Kuldeep Singh Kanwasi, who met with a fatal accident recently. Karnaprayag is a high profile constituency from where Deputy Speaker of the state assembly Anusuya Prasad Maikhuri is contesting. The security level across the hill state had been heightened, especially along the border with Nepal. Anti-incumbency has always been a factor in Uttarakhand, which has voted out the government in power at the time, in successive elections since its formation. Chief Minister Harish Rawat contested from Haridwar Rural in Garhwal against sitting BJP legislator Swami Yatishwaranand, banking on the Muslim and Dalit voters in the city that is one of the largest pilgrim centres of the country. The BJP has accused the Congress of turning "Dev Bhoomi" Uttarakhand, meaning the land of Gods to "Loot Bhoomi" - the land of corruption. For Chief Minister Rawat, the battle was seen as uphill and he also contested from Kichcha in Kumaon. The Congress had portrayed this as his attempt to reaffirm the party's commitment to both Kumaon and Garhwal. His detractors saw this as a last-ditch attempt to save the party in seats where up to 12 leaders have defected, leading to instability and a loss of face for the Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged people of Uttarakhand to come out and vote in large numbers. A high voter turnout would indicate a change in government. In 2012, Uttarakhand saw a voter turnout of 67.22 per cent. Uttarakhand voted in a single phase. Counting of votes will take place on March 11.

Please Note: For live updates, kindly refresh the page manually by pressing 'F5' on your keyboard (if you're reading this on a computer) or exit the story and click on the headline again (if you're reading this on your mobile or tablet)

Here are the voting day highlights for Uttarakhand Election 2017:

February 15, 2017 - 18:00 pm: Uttarakhand Election Ends - 68% voter turnout recorded overall in Uttarakhand till 5 pm - which is the final provisional tally as voting comes to an end. Figures are according to the Election Commission of India. In 2012, Uttarakhand saw a final voter turnout of 66.8% - making this year's turnout 1.2% higher. Counting of votes will take place on March 11.
 
uttarakhand elections 2017 facts 4 turnout

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: Voting Ends. 68% voter turnout overall (provisional) till 5 PM


February 15, 2017 - 17:00 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live - Voting ends across all Assembly constituencies in Uttarakhand at 5 pm - as per schedule. However, those who joined the line of voters till 4:59 pm will be allowed to cast their vote.

February 15, 2017 - 15:30 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live - 53% voter turnout recorded in Uttarakhand till 3 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.
 
uttarakhand elections 2017 facts 4 turnout

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: 53% voter turnout recorded till 3 PM


February 15, 2017 - 14:55 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live - Chief Minister Harish Rawat speaks with NDTV after voting:



February 15, 2017 - 13:45 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live -
39.8% voter turnout recorded in Uttarakhand till 1 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.
 
uttarakhand elections 2017 facts 4 turnout

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: 39.8% voter turnout till 1 PM


February 15, 2017 - 13:15 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live - Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat speaks with NDTV after casting his vote:

NDTV: You've been undertaking the Uttarakhand Swabhimaan Yatra for the past many months. How satisfied are you with the campaign?

Harish Rawat: Quite satisfied. Since March 2016 BJP and the central government have been striking the swabhinaan of the people of this state, that is why my campaign is a direct fight against that attempt.

NDTV: Migration, employment, women' safety... are these the main issues your party will work on?

Harish Rawat: Yes, I am the first Chief Minister who has made a time bound agenda to reverse migration in the state. I have an agenda and I have been working on that. My focus has been on the construction of roads.

NDTV: Is the Prime Minister coming to your constituency seen as an open challenge to you?

Harish Rawat: I am a small man and I am the Chief Minister of a small state... some of the things he (PM Narendra Modi) has said have been ill-advised and do not give him or his office the respect it deserves.


February 15, 2017 - 12:30 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live - 24% voter turnout recorded in Uttarakhand till 11 am, according to the Election Commission of India.
 
uttarakhand elections 2017 facts 4 turnout

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: 24% voter turnout till 11 AM


February 15, 2017 - 12:20 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live - Here's the party-wise break up of the number of seats being contested:
 
uttarakhand elections 2017 facts 3 seats contested

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: Seats being contested by different parties


February 15, 2017 - 12:10 pm: Uttarakhand Election Live - Chief Minister Harish Rawat casts his vote at a booth in Uttarakhand's Dharampur Assembly constituency, near state capital Dehradun.
 
February 15, 2017 - 11:40 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Chief Minister Harish Rawat arrives at the polling station to cast his vote. Mr Rawat is contesting from Haridwar Rural in Garhwal against sitting BJP legislator Swami Yatishwaranand, banking on the Muslim and Dalit voters in the city that's one of the largest pilgrim centres of the country. The battle for Mr Rawat is seen as uphill and he is also contesting from Kichcha in Kumaon. The Congress is portraying this as his attempt to reaffirm the party's commitment to both Kumaon and Garhwal. His detractors see this as a last-ditch attempt to save the party in seats where up to 12 leaders have defected, leading to instability and a loss of face for the Congress. The ruling Congress government of Chief Minister Harish Rawat is battling corruption charges.
 
harish rawat

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: Chief Minister Harish Rawat will cast his vote shortly (File Photo)


February 15, 2017 - 11:20 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Voting under way in Haldwani - Congress' Indira Hridayesh, BSP's S Ahmad & BJP's JPS Rautela contesting from this constituency
 
February 15, 2017 - 11:00 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - 24% voter turnout recorded in Uttarakhand till 11 am, according to the Election Commission of India.
 
uttarakhand voting

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: People queue outside a polling booth - 24% voter turnout till 11 AM


February 15, 2017 - 10:35 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev casts his vote at a polling booth in Haridwar.
 
February 15, 2017 - 10:25 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Congress' Indira Hridayesh casts her vote in Haldwani. She is contesting against BSP's S Ahmad and BJP's JPS Rautela.
 
February 15, 2017 - 10:10 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Here are some interesting facts about the elections in the hill state:
 
uttarakhand elections 2017 facts 1

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: All the numbers - constituencies, candidates, stations

uttarakhand elections 2017 facts 2

Uttarakhand Election 2017 LIVE: Electorate details - Number of voters by gender


February 15, 2017 - 09:55 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Radha Raturi, Uttarakhand's Chief Electoral Officer casts her vote at the Government Girls Inter College in Dehradun's Kishanpur.
 
February 15, 2017 - 09:45 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - 6% voter turnout recorded in Uttarakhand till 9 am, according to the Election Commission of India.
 
February 15, 2017 - 09:40 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - People cast their vote at a booth in Shrinagar. BSP's Ganesh Prasad, BJP's Dr DS Rawat and Congress' Ganesh Godiyal are contesting from this constituency.
 
February 15, 2017 - 09:30 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - BJP's Uttarakhand president Ajay Bhatt casts his vote at a polling booth in Ranikhet.
 
February 15, 2017 - 09:20 am:Uttarakhand Election Live - People come out after voting for their candidate in Uttarakhand
 
February 15, 2017 - 09:10 am:Uttarakhand Election Live - Here is a list of candidates with criminal cases against them, but standing for the Uttarakhand Assembly election 2017:
 
Party wise break up of candidates with declared criminal cases
PartyTotal number of candidates analyzedCandidates with Declared criminal Cases
 BJP   70  19
 Cong   70  17
 BSP   69   7
 SP   20   2
 UKD   55   4
CPI(M)    6   1
 RLD    6   1
 CPI    4   1
 IND 261  32
 Oth   76   7
 Total 637  91
Source: ADR


February 15, 2017 - 08:50 am:Uttarakhand Election Live - Here is a list of rich candidates standing for the Uttarakhand Assembly election 2017. Rich candidates are candidates whose assets are 1 Cr and above:
 
Party wise break up of Rich Candidates
PartyTotal number of candidates analyzedNo of Rich Candidates
BJP7048
Cong7052
BSP6919
SP204
UKD5513
CPI(M)61
RLD61
SHS91
SARV VIKAS PARTY63
HAMARI JANMANCH PARTY32
INDIAN BUSINESS PARTY31
AARAKSHAN VIRODHI PARTY11
UTTARAKHAND KRANTI DAL (DEMOCRATIC)81
IND26153
Oth500
Total637200
Note : Rich candidates are candidates whose assets are 1 Cr and above Source: ADR


February 15, 2017 - 08:40 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Here is a list of some of the key candidates and heavyweights standing for the Uttarakhand Assembly election 2017:
 
Heavyweights
 Const NameCand NamePartyProfile
52007KedarnathShaila Rani RawatBJPMLA from Congress in 2012 now contesting from BJP
52011NarendranagarSubodh UniyalBJPMLA from Congress in 2012 now contesting from BJP
52017SahaspurKishore UpadhyayCongPresident Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee
52030Piran KaliyarFurkan AhmadCongSitting MLA
52031RoorkeePradeep BatraBJPMLA from Congress in 2012 now contesting from BJP.
52032KhanpurKunwar Pranav Singh ChampionBJPMLA from Congress in 2012 but now contesting from BJP.Former weightlifter who added ‘champion’ to his name.
52035Hardwar RuralHarish RawatCongChief Minister
52036YamkeshwarShailendra Singh RawatCongBJP rebel because of denied ticket from Kotdwar
52036YamkeshwarRitu Khanduri BhushanBJPDaughter of B.C. Khanduri Former Chief Minister.
52039ChaubattakhalSatpal MaharajBJPNational Executive Member and Former Lok Sabha MP
52041KotdwarDr. Harak Singh RawatBJPFormer Minister of Finance and now contesting from BJP. He served as leader of opposition in the state from (2007-12)
52050RanikhetAjay BhattBJPState BJP President and Former Health Minister
52058NanitalSanjeev AryaBJPSon of Yashpal Arya Former President of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (2007-14).He is one of the prominent Dalit face in the state. Former Minister of Revenue and Irrigation in Harish Rawat's Government
52059HaldwaniIndra HaridayeshCongMinister of Finance,Parliamentary Affairs, Higher Education
52062JaspurShailendra Mohan SinghalBJPThree time MLA from Congress (2002,2007,2012) now contesting from BJP
52064BajpurYashpal AryaBJPFormer President of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (2007-14).He is one of the prominent Dalit face in the state. Former Minister of Revenue and Irrigation in Harish Rawat's Government
52067KichchaHarish RawatCongChief Minister
52068SitarganjSaurabh BahugunaBJPSon of Former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna


February 15, 2017 - 08:30 am: Uttarakhand Election Live - Voting for 69 of the total 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand began at 08:00 am today. The constituency of Karnaprayag will vote on March 9 due to the untimely death of BSP candidate Kuldeep Singh Kanwasi.

 
.