From the capital Shimla to the icy heights of Spiti, people across the state have voted braving the cold, and in the higher parts of the mountains, trudging through the snow to elect a new state government.
Polls were slow in the early hours, but picked up pace as the day progressed. Only about 5% of the polls were recorded in the first hour, while up to 11 it was 19.98%. It reached 37.19% by 1pm and 55.65% by 3pm.
The highest grade in the Sirmour district
The highest poll of 72.35% was recorded in the Sirmour district, followed by 68.48% in Solan and 67.67% in Una.
Among constituencies, Shillai recorded the highest turnout of 77% while Sarkaghat recorded the lowest of 55.40%.
Seraj constituency in Mandi district from which Prime Minister Jairam Thakur is contending and Sujanpur recorded 74% of the polls, according to provisional data.
100% polls at the highest stand in the world
The remote Lahaul and Spiti region surprised with a high poll of 67.5%. The region had recorded 21.95%, the lowest, until 1am, but polls were quick when the sun came out.
At minus 10 degrees Celsius, Tashigang, the tallest polling station in the world at a height of 15,256 feet in the Lahaul and Spiti district, saw a 100% turnout on Saturday.
The village, about 34 km from Kaza, is the last settlement in the Spiti Valley near the border between India and Tibet.
Voters wait in line to cast their vote in a polling station, Tashigang
Senior voters exercise their rights
Many elderly voters expressed their right to vote on Saturday, often facing difficult conditions.
The Electoral Commission had provided a voluntary facility for voters over the age of 80 to vote via ballot papers in their homes, but many opted for the booth on election day.
An 83-year-old woman, Dolma, voted at the Chasak Bhatori polling station in the Pangi area of the Chamba district after walking 14 kilometers on a snowy road.
Similarly, 103-year-old man Pyar Singh also exercised his franchise right with his family members.
Narjam Mani, 90, and her husband Bheesham Dass, 87, cast their votes at the polling station set up at the Kalpa Government Primary School in Kinnaur.
In addition, a 105-year-old woman Naro Devi voted at the Ladhan polling station which falls within the constituency of the Churah assembly in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.
