Shimla: Dismissing the high turnout at the November 4 poll as a vote against the state government, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that women voters outnumbering men on election day showed anger against price rise and cap on subsidized LPG cylinders.
Talking to reporters here Dhumal said that prevailing high prices of essential commodities and policy of capping LPG subsidy would go beyond elections in Himachal and would impact have country wide ramifications.
As the state government is unable to provide more subsidized LPG that what UPA government has decided to enforce on all households in the country, we have announced making available one induction cooker to all, he said.
Counting the states achievements, he added that the state had made a complete switch from lamp free to CLP lighting as the government has supplied free CFL bulbs to all. In health services, the Atal 108 ambulance service had saved many lives and provided a service that was not there in the state.
With polling completed, he said that code of conduct enforced in the state would automatically be relaxed under election commission instructions issued in 2009 that allowed ministers to visit their constituencies and cabinet meeting could be held as usual.
Dhumal said that to increase people participation in a democracy, voting should be made compulsory for all.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.