As the high-voltage political campaigns came to an end on November 10, the day for the electorate to decide the political fate of the leaders from different parties in Himachal Pradesh has arrived with the polling for the assembly elections all set to begin at 8 am on Saturday.

The voting for the elections will go on till 5 pm today. The votes will be counted on December 8.  In the last election, the majority of seats (44) had come in the BJP’s bag, with Congress being restricted to just 21 seats.

According to the Election Commission, a total of 55,92,828 electors of which 27,37,845 are women, 28,54,945 men and 38 were third-gender, will decide the faith of 412 candidates. This time, the representation of woman candidates is 24.

The state has seen the power alternate between the BJP and Congress over the past several elections, . The BJP has been insisting that “continuity” is crucial for an unhindered development. Its chief argument is that the “double engine”, same party’s governments in state and at the Centre, will ensure work doesn’t see any kind of political game kicks. It cites another Himalayan state, Uttarakhand, as an example of defeating the change-every-election trend. While Congress, giving a strong focus on local issues is hoping that some of its electoral promises will be a major draw among the electorate.

Aam Adami Party (AAP) too hopes to create a mark in the state and is contesting on all 68 seats.

BJP brought star campaigners like Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party chief Jagat Prakash Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also campaigned in the hill state.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also hit the ground along with other top leaders of the party including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress’s first non-Gandhi chief in 24 years also campaigned in the state.

Today’s polls also carry much significance for JP Nadda since Himachal Pradesh is his native state.

According to Election Commission, a total of 7,881 polling stations have been set up for the polls. The Kangra district has a maximum of 1,625 polling stations while the Lahaul-Spiti district has the lowest 92. There are 7,235 polling stations in rural and 646 polling stations in urban areas. Besides, three auxiliary polling stations will also be set up at Sidhbari (Dharamshala), Bara Bhangal (Baijnath) and Dhillon (Kasauli).