Dehradun, May 7 (IANS): Hundreds of thousands voted across Uttarakhand Wednesday to elect five Lok Sabha MPs, with officials putting the polling percentage in six hours at 36 percent.
Polling was brisk from the time it started at 7 a.m., Election Commission officials said.
"Polling has been peaceful and more or less smooth apart from minor glitches when some electronic voting machines (EVMs) malfunctioned," said an official. The faulty machines were replaced.
Seventy-four candidates are in the fray in Uttarakhand's five constituencies.
In Haridwar, the Congress has fielded Renuka Rawat, wife of Chief Minister Harish Rawat, against former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Harish Rawat won from Haridwar in 2009.
BJP candidate and former chief minister Maj. Gen. (retd) B.C. Khanduri is pitted against Harak Singh Rawat of the Congress in Garhwal.
Saket Bahuguna, son of former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, is the Congress candidate in Tehri Garhwal. His main opponent is Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah of the BJP.
In 2009, the Congress won all five seats.