In Himachal, BJP, Congress await result with bated breath
SHIMLA: For such a small place, the significance the hill state of Himachal Pradesh has for the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is huge.
The two parties, which ran a high-voltage campaign to win over the 50 lakh-odd voters in a direct fight, are waiting with bated breath for the outcome of counting of votes on Monday to elect a new assembly. And, it has been a long wait, as the polling was held on November 9.
A clutch of exit polls have predicted a big win for the BJP, but leaders of both sides say they are confident of the victory.
The stakes have never been higher for them. The BJP, gung ho after its wins in several states, sees itself as the “natural claimant” this time with veteran leader Prem Kumar Dhumal as its CM face due to the revolving-door electoral history of the state in the past three decades. The party is looking to continue its victory march and expand its political footprint with just a little over a year to go for general elections.
The wager for the ruling Congress is equally high, if not more. Pegged back by the pounding it has received in election after election since the 2014 Lok Sabha debacle with the exception of neighbouring Punjab, the party desperately needs to wrest back the initiative. A win here would serve as a big morale booster for the party rank and file. Also, Rahul Gandhi, who took over as president of Congress on Saturday, would be hoping to start his innings with some positive news.
For chief minister Virbhadra Singh also, the stakes are high. Virbhadra and his family are facing cases pertaining to corruption and disproportionate assets, which are being investigated by Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department. His son, Vikramaditya, is also making his electoral debut from the Shimla rural constituency. Singh vacated the seat for him.
The two traditional rivals went all out in the “battle of prestige”, peppering each other with accusations and indulging in competitive populism like never before. Leading the BJP charge was PM Narendra Modi who targeted Congress and Virbhadra on corruption, deteriorating law and order and joblessness to try and make the most of the undercurrent of anti-incumbency against the ruling party in the state.
Both Congress and BJP have their traditional pockets of strong support, but the polls have shown a tendency to flip parties and punish non-performance. The state saw a record turnout of 75%.
SHIMLA: The fate of 337 candidates including chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his predecessor Prem Kumar Dhumal will be known on Monday as counting of votes is taken up in Himachal Pradesh where traditional rivals BJP and Congress have contested all 68 seats
The hill state witnessed a record 75.28% turnout and pollsters have predicted a BJP victory. Adequate security arrangements have been made for counting which would start simultaneously in all 68 constituencies at 48 counting centres.
Corruption was the main focus of the BJP campaign with the party training its guns at chief minister Singh, while the Congress hit out at the BJP over the issue of GST and demonetisation.
The BSP contested 42 seats followed by the CPI(M) 14, the Swabhiman Party and the Lok Gathbandhan Party six each and the CPI-3.
Out of 67 sitting MLAS, 60 MLAS, nine cabinet ministers, HPCC president Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu, state BJP chief, Satpal Singh Satti, deputy speaker, Jagat Singh Negi and eight chief parliamentary secretaries (CPS) contested the poll along with a dozen former ministers.
Himachal has a tradition of change in government after every elections and going by the trend, this time it is the turn of the BJP which is upbeat after exit poll results.
There are 25 Congress, 28 BJP and four independent MLAS in the outgoing house while one seat was lying vacant after death of former minister Karan Singh from Banjar.
Sitting Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur (Congress), former Lok Sabha members, Chander Kumar(congress and Dr Rajan Shushant (Independent) and former Rajya Sabha member Kripal Parmar(bjp) are also among key contestants.
While the BJP is confident of winning the polls with a comfortable majority, the Congress has rejected the exit polls and claimed that it was all set to repeat.
The BJP ousted the Congress in 1990 and the Congress avenged defeat in 1993. The BJP formed the government with the help of Himachal Vikas Congress in 1998 and the Congress was back in power in 2003. The BJP made a comeback in 2007.
A total of 2,820 counting staff has been deployed for Monday’s exercise which includes counting supervisors, counting assistants and micro observers.
Chief electoral officer Pushpender Rajput said three-tier security arrangements have been made at all counting centres. He said wire-mesh barricading has been done at counting centres and there was a separate entry passage for counting staff and counting agents.
HIMACHAL WITNESSED AN ALLTIME HIGH POLLING AT 75.28% THIS TIME, ADEQUATE SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR COUNTING