Dehradun, Feb 14 (PTI) Over 59 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm on Monday in Uttarakhand where voting took place for 70 assembly seats spread over 13 districts, officials said here.

Long queues of voters were seen outside booths as polling began at 8 am amid strict adherence to Covid protocols. People were allowed to cast their votes only after wearing gloves.

Also Read | Infinix Zero 5G Debuts in India at Rs 19,999; Check Details Here.

Till 5 pm, 59.37 per cent polling was recorded in the state, Election Commission officials here said as polling ended at 6 pm.

In the day, Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya inspected the model polling booths in Nehru Colony and Hathi Barkala in Dehradun to see if Covid protocols were being followed by voters and officials.

Also Read | RBI Recruitment 2022: Apply for 950 Assistant Posts on rbi.org.in; Check Details Here.

On faulty EVMs at certain polling stations, she had said they were immediately replaced.

Haridwar district saw the highest voter turnout at 67.58 per cent followed by Uttarkashi with 65.55 per cent, Udham Singh Nagar 65.13, Nainital 63.12, Rudraprayag 60.36 per cent, Chamoli 59 per cent, Bageshwar 57.83 per cent, Champawat 56.97 per cent, Dehradun 52.93 per cent, Tehri 52.66 per cent, Pauri Garhwal 51.93 per cent, Almora 50.65 per cent and Pithoragarh 57.19 per cent, officials said giving data till 5 pm.

Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, former chief ministers Trivendra Singh Rawat and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, AAP's chief ministerial candidate Col (retd) Ajay Kothiyal, state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal, 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 and Nishank 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 caste, creed and religious considerations to vote for a strong nation and its interests.

On the ongoing hijab controversy, Ramdev said Asaduddin Owaisi was living in the 18th century. "These are minor things when compared to national interest which is paramount. People should reject political, intellectual and religious terrorism and vote for the country," he said.

This was the fifth assembly polls held in the politically volatile hill state since its creation in 2000. A public holiday was 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 AAP, which has also thrown its hat in the ring, has declared Kothiyal as its chief ministerial candidate.

A total of 81,72173 voters in the state were eligible to decide the fate of 632 candidates in the fray, including 152 independents, in these elections.

As many as 11,697 polling booths spread over 8,624 locations were set up.

For the first time, 101 all-women 'Sakhi' polling booths run by women were set up in the state to encourage participation of women in the polling process, Saujanya said.

Similarly, six polling booths manned by differently abled persons were also set up, she said.

Prominent candidates whose fate is to be decided in these polls include chief minister Dhami, his cabinet colleagues Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Dhan Singh Rawat and Rekha Arya besides state BJP president Madan Kaushik.

Noted faces from the Congress in the fray include former chief minister Harish Rawat, former minister Yashpal Arya, Godiyal and Pritam Singh.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)