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Himachal Pradesh Polls: Here’s All You Need To Know

Polling will take place in a single phase in Himachal Pradesh today between 8 am and 5 pm.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh with supporters during an election rally at Kunihar in Shimla rural. (Image: PTI)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh with supporters during an election rally at Kunihar in Shimla rural. (Image: PTI)
  • The contest is over 68 assembly seats, of which 17 are reserved for the scheduled castes category.
  • Polling will take place in a single phase today between 8 am and 5 pm.
  • The Election Commission expects more than 85 percent voter turnout this year.
  • The results will be declared on Dec. 18.

Sixty-eight Assembly seats go to polls today in a single phase in Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh, where the Bharatiya Janata Party is determined to wrest power.

An electorate of 50.25 lakh voters will decide the fate of 337 candidates, including 62 MLAs. Among the heavy weights are Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, eight Chief Parliamentary secretaries, Deputy Speaker Jagat Singh Negi, 10 ministers and over a dozen former ministers.

Himachal Pradesh Polls: Here’s All You Need To Know

Apart from the arch rivals – the BJP and the Congress, which are competing on all 68 seats, the BSP is contesting on 42 seats, followed by the CPI(M) which has fielded 14 candidates. Swabhiman Party and Lok Gathbandhan Party have fielded six candidates each and there are three candidates from the CPI.

The Backdrop

Historically, no party in Himachal Pradesh has formed consecutive governments since the mid-1980s. Power has shifted from the Congress to the BJP and vice versa every five years since 1993. The Congress, led by Virbhadra Singh, had formed the government back in 2012, winning 36 seats. BJP was the lone opposition party with 27 seats.

Himachal Pradesh Polls: Here’s All You Need To Know

Both the national parties will be looking to consolidate their position ahead of the general elections in 2019. In the last two years, the Congress has ceded power to the BJP in most of the state assembly elections, with the exception of Punjab. More seats in state assemblies guarantees parties a higher representation in the Rajya Sabha, making it easier to push through their agenda.

The Himachal Pradesh polls also come ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A victory in that state may serve as a morale booster for Modi’s party, which has been facing increased criticism after economic growth fell to a three-year low. For Congress, a win would mean staying relevant ahead of the 2019 polls.

The Key Players

Congress Vice President Rahul Ghandhi with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and state incharge Sushilkumar Shinde Shinde waves at an election rally at Nagrota in Kangra. (Source: PTI)
Congress Vice President Rahul Ghandhi with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and state incharge Sushilkumar Shinde Shinde waves at an election rally at Nagrota in Kangra. (Source: PTI)

One of the key face-offs will take place in the Akri constituency where BJP has fielded Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker Rattan Pal against the six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Both parties have won the seat five times each in the past.

The other significant contest is in Sujanpur, where BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal faces Congress’ Rajinder Rana. BJP has promised to shift the chief minister’s office from Shimla to Sujanpur if they win. However, the constituency is also Rana’s home turf where he won the 2012 poll as an independent by a margin of ore than 14,000 votes.

There are 19 women in the poll fray, six from the BJP and three from the Congress and the rest are contesting from various other parties or as independents.

Hectic Campaigning

BJP National President Amit Shah addressing a public meeting at Banikhet in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. (Source: PTI)
BJP National President Amit Shah addressing a public meeting at Banikhet in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. (Source: PTI)

The 12-days high-voltage campaigning, which ended on November 7, saw over 450 rallies by star campaigners of the BJP and the Congress including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah who addressed seven and six rallies respectively. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressed three rallies.

The BJP’s campaign was focussed largely on corruption and the lack of infrastructure in the state. Congress criticised the BJP over demonetisation and reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax.

The Polling Situation

Himachal Pradesh Polls: Here’s All You Need To Know

Polling in the state takes place between 8 am to 5 pm. The Election Commission will use web-casting in 2,307 polling stations for live monitoring of polling activities.

As many as 7,525 polling booths have been set up in the state and 37,605 polling personnel have been deputed for poll duty. Besides 17,850 personnel of police and Home Guards and 65 companies of central paramilitary force have been deployed.

Himachal Pradesh Polls: Here’s All You Need To Know

To ensure free and fair elections, 983 polling stations had been declared vulnerable and 399 as critical, Chief Electoral Officer Pushpender Rajput said.

The election is also markedly significant for the Election Commission of India which will use Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT) for the first time. VVPAT machines print a slip with the symbol of the party a person has voted for to ensure better transparency. A successful pilot could result in VVPATs being used in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019.

Results will be declared on December 18, the same day when results of the Gujarat elections will be announced.

(With inputs from PTI)