Himachal Election Results: Elected Cong MLAs to Discuss CM Face in Shimla as Party Dethrones BJP in Tight Battle

Thursday’s political thriller ended with a mixed bag for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the saffron party broke its own record in Gujarat but ended up losing Himachal Pradesh to Congress as the hill state upheld its ‘Riwaaz’ of voting out the incumbent. READ MORE

Congress workers celebrate the party’s win in the Himachal Pradesh Elections outside AICC office in Delhi.

The new 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly will have just one woman MLA. The BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress had fielded six, five and three women candidates, but only Reena Kashyap of BJP won the election. The figure is slightly worse that the 2017 elections in which four women candidates had managed to win the assembly polls. Among those who lost the recently concluded elections included Social Justice and Empowerment Minister and four-time MLA from Shahpur in Kangra, Sarveen Chaudhary; six-time Congress MLA from Dalhousie, Asha Kumari who was a contender for chief minister’s post; BJP MLA from Indora, Rita Dhiman and veteran Congress leader Kaul Singh’s daughter Champa Thakur from Mandi.

In the run-up to the polling for the 68 seats of Himachal assembly, the opposition had targeted him, calling him “underperforming” and “accidental Chief Minister”, with some even doubting if he could hold onto his fort, but 57-year-old Jai Ram Thakur, perhaps, silenced his detractors both within and outside the party. READ MORE

Speaking exclusively to CNN-news18 on Congress’ win in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, state party chief Pratibha Singh, wife of former chief minister late Virbhadra Singh said family and legacy of Virbhadra Singh cannot be ignored. She further said “elected leaders will sit together and decide the Chief Minister face of the party.”

The erstwhile royals of Himachal Pradesh who once commanded their own space in politics registered lost in the state election results today as only two of them recorded in the hill state. Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh, who belongs to Rampur Bushahr’s erstwhile royal family, won with a big margin of 13,860 votes from Shimla rural, while Anirudh Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Koti, won from Kasumpti assembly seat. However, erstwhile royal of Kullu, Hiteshwar Singh, who ran as an independent, also lost from the Banjar assembly seat. Erstwhile royal Maheshwar Singh, who is Hiteshwar’s father, was also in the fray this election but had withdrawn in favour of the BJP.

Congress leader K C Venugopal thanked the people of Himachal Pradesh, senior leader Priyanka Gandhi and party workers after the party registered a win in the state assembly elections.

Senior Congress leaders Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupendra Hooda and Rajeev Shukla are expected to arrive in Shimla where a meeting with newly elected MLAs will be held following the party’s win in the Himachal Pradesh assembly election. The meeting which was initially planned in Chandigarh amid rumours of poaching and horse trading by the rival BJP will now take place in Shimla. The Chief Ministerial post is expected to be discussed in the meeting.

Amid the high over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) landslide victory in the Gujarat assembly polls, there has been a low — the party’s defeat in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, which is also the home state of party chief J P Nadda and Union minister Anurag Thakur, where the party gave the slogan ‘raj nahi, riwaz badlenge’ (will change the tradition of not repeating an incumbent government). READ MORE

The final counting of votes for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections concluded with the Congress emerging victorious with a majority of 40 seats, followed by the BJP’s 25 seats and independents grabbing three seats respectively.

With the Congress party bracing itself to form the government in Himachal Pradesh, the name of leader Pratibha Singh seems to be doing the rounds as the state’s Chief Minister face. She is the widow of six-time former Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh. She represents the Mandi constituency and under her leadership, Congress managed to unseat BJP from Himachal Pradesh and maintain the ‘rivaz’ in the state. READ MORE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the Election Commission for conducting elections peacefully during his address at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. “As far as I know, re-polling in any poll booth was not required. I also want to thank the voters of Himachal Pradesh. The difference between the number of votes for BJP and Congress was less than 1%.”

Anti-incumbency against the ruling BJP government, the issue of price rise, as well as the Congress’ promises of restoring the old pension scheme and providing Rs 1,500 to every woman likely drew voters to the grand old party in Himachal Pradesh as it won a majority with 40 seats against BJP’s 24 constituencies.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The Himachal Pradesh result is a definite morale booster for the Congress. The PM(Prachar Mantri)’s high voltage campaign in the home state of the BJP President failed significantly. The pledges made to the people of Himachal by the Congress will be fulfilled.”

Speaking on the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election results where the BJP was defeated by Congress, BJP National President J P Nadda at the party headquarters in Delhi said: “I want to say thanks to our party workers for their tireless work in Himachal Pradesh. We could not make government in Himachal Pradesh but it is also significant that the vote difference remains 0.9% from rivals. I congratulate the party going to form government in the hill state. AAP even could not open an account in Himachal Pradesh.”

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the most visible campaigner for the party in Himachal Pradesh, managed to power the Congress to a comfortable majority there. In a tweet she said, “Heartfelt thanks and greetings to the people of Himachal Pradesh for giving mandate to the Indian National Congress.” She further thanked leaders and workers and said: “Your hard work paid off.”