Voting for the four Lok Sabha and six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh is underway during the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Among the 37 candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections, Kangana Ranaut, the controversial Bollywood actress known for her staunch support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and frequent clashes with industry peers, is running on the BJP ticket from Mandi.
Additionally, 25 candidates are in the fray for the by-polls.
As of 11 AM on Saturday, around 32 per cent of votes had been cast in the Lok Sabha elections.
In the by-elections for the six assembly seats, the voting percentages varied between 22% and 32%.
Specifically, Hamirpur recorded 31.25% voter turnout, Kangra saw 31.29%, Mandi had 33.02%, and Shimla reported 32.22%.
In the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, Congress has fielded Satpal Singh Raizada against BJP candidate and union minister Anurag Thakur.
In the Shimla seat, BJP’s Suresh Kashyap is up against Vinod Sultanpuri of Congress.
The Kangra seat features former union minister Anand Sharma of Congress competing with BJP’s Rajeev Bhardwaj. Notably, in the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, Kangana Ranaut is contesting against Vikramaditya Singh of Congress.
These elections are crucial for both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, as they look to strengthen their positions in Himachal Pradesh.