Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh voting to elect new assembly today
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh is voting to elect a new Assembly in the hilly state as over 55 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise on Saturday.
Fates of 412 candidates in 68 constituencies will be decided today by voters.
Voting in the single-phase poll has commenced and it will end at 5 pm.
The Election Commission has set up 7,884 polling stations including three in high-altitude zones.
According to the Election Commission, there are 1.86 lakh first-time voters, 1.22 lakh aged 80-plus, and 1,184 voters who are above 100 years of age in the state.
Result will be declared on Dec 8.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted and urged people to vote.
एक मजबूत और भ्रष्टाचार मुक्त सरकार ही हिमाचल प्रदेश को विकास में अग्रणी रख देवभूमि की जनता की आकांक्षाओं को पूरा कर सकती है।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 12, 2022
हिमाचल के सभी मतदाताओं विशेषकर माताओं, बहनों व युवाओं से अपील करता हूँ कि प्रदेश के सुनहरे कल के लिए अधिक से अधिक संख्या में मतदान कर एक सशक्त सरकार चुने।
The BJP is in power in the state under the leadership of Jairam Thakur, the current chief minister of the state.
The party has 44 MLAs in the 68-seat Himachal Assembly, while the Congress has 21 MLAs. Two MLAs are Independents and the CPM has one seat.
No incumbent government has returned to power in Himachal Pradesh for a second consecutive term since 1982.
The challenge for the ruling BJP is to buck the anti-incumbency factor and overturn the convention. The Congress is banking on the voters to go with the four-decade-old trend in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself set the momentum for the BJP with several visits in the last month. He inaugurated a Vande Bharat train and the AIIMS at Bilaspur to project the advantages of a "double engine" government.
Himachal Pradesh is also being considered a prestige battle for BJP national president JP Nadda. The entire electoral campaign of the party revolved around his choices, be it in ticket distribution or in strategy.
When it comes to campaigning in the state, the Congress has mainly remained dependent on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in absence of Rahul Gandhi who is currently busy with a months-long Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The Congress has faced defeats in nine states over a period of two years. In 2021, the party lost West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry and this year the grand old party has lost Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
Himachal is known to have bipolar contests between the BJP and Congress. However, the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party could make the contest triangular in some assembly segments this time.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has predicted clear weather in Himachal on the day of polling on Saturday.
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