By IANS
Shimla : Voting for the first phase of assembly elections began at a slow pace in Himachal Pradesh’s three tribal seats of Bharmaur, Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur Wednesday.
Few voters could be seen trudging to vote as temperatures in many areas fell below freezing.
Voting which began at 8 a.m. will close at 5 p.m. and is expected to gain momentum around noon.
Voting in the three seats is being held five weeks before the rest of the state as these areas tend to get snowbound early in winter.
Some 100 of the 298 polling stations in these three assembly segments are located at an altitude between 8,500 and 15,000 feet. Hikkem in the Spiti valley — with 318 voters — is the second highest polling station in India.
Bharmaur has 55,108 voters, Kinnaur has 49,876 and Lahaul & Spiti 22,809.
Lahaul & Spiti is the largest assembly seat in the state but has the fewest voters.
The twin valleys of Lahaul & Spiti are already cut off from the rest of the state due to heavy snowfall over the high passes leading to the region, but the electronic voting machines being used Wednesday would be flown out of the area over the next two days, Chief Electoral Officer Manisha Nanda said.
A dozen candidates are contesting these three assembly seats, but observers say the main fight is between archrivals the Congress and the BJP.
The other 65 assembly seats in the state will go to the polls Dec 19. Counting will take place Dec 28.