The voters in Joshimath region in Chamoli district participated in the Vidhan Sabha election 2017 with enthusiasm along with the personnel of the Indo Tibet Border Police Force (ITBP) posted in this border region, who also cast their votes on the day of polling. As the sun climbed higher in the sky and as the people especially women completed their household chores, voters streamed to the polling booth to exercise their franchise.
In the Badrinath Vidhan Sabha constituency, the Joshimath development block is considered to be a cold climate area. Due to this, the number of voters coming out to poll during the early morning hours was comparatively less but rose as the day progressed. According to officials, out of the eight areas marked sensitive in this region, no untoward incident was reported from any of these places on the polling day. However, in Joshimath itself, workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress party had an altercation outside the polling booth. The police managed to bring the situation under control before it could escalate further.
The fate of the nine candidates contesting from the Badrinath Vidhan Sabha constituency was sealed in the electronic voting machines (EVMs). Observers opine that the main contest for this constituency is between the candidates of the Congress and BJP. Till 2:50 PM, the Joshimath area had registered about 41 per cent polling. According to official data, overall, the polling percentage had reached 61 per cent by 5 PM in the Chamoli district.