Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022: Voting has begun in the hill state on Saturday (November 12) to elect a new government in the assembly elections. Himachal Pradesh elections will decide the fate of 412 candidates today. About 55 lakh voters are going to cast their votes today in this election to be held in a single phase in Himachal Pradesh.
The BJP is eyeing to retain power in the state since 1982 to reverse the trend of an alternative government, while the Congress is showing its faith in its ’10 guarantees’ that the party has promised to fulfill if voted to power. has done. The Aam Aadmi Party is also aiming to make its inroads in the state in the hope of a strong performance in the elections.
In 2017, the BJP won 44 of the total 68 seats in the Himachal elections, while the Congress managed to get just 21 seats.
Catch all the latest updates related to Himachal Pradesh elections on Livemint live blog:
Himachal Pradesh Elections: Around 30,000 security personnel deployed to ensure free, fair polling
6,700 personnel in 67 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and 15 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies have been deployed to conduct free and fair assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.
Apart from this, 50 thousand government employees have been put on pole duty. There are also 25,000 police officers deployed across the state.
BJP eyeing history, tradition of Congress in Himachal Pradesh elections
The ruling BJP is hoping for an encore on the back of its development agenda, while the opposition Congress is urging voters to follow a four-decade-old tradition of voting for the electorate in Himachal Pradesh.
As for the ruling BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spearheaded the campaign, bolstering his campaign with a personal appeal to the state’s voters, where he said every vote given to the BJP’s symbol “lotus” is his strength. will increase.
For the Congress, which has been electorally on the bottom for the last two election cycles, winning Himachal Pradesh over the BJP is a matter of survival.
The stakes are high for the grand old party that has installed a non-Gandhi Congress president after 24 years.
The Congress has lost nine states in two years, including West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Puducherry in 2021 and Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur this year.
The Congress is banking on the anti-incumbency wave and raising the issue of inflation, unemployment and old pension scheme in this election to woo voters and bring about a change.
For the BJP, the Himachal victory will come as a feather in the cap of Modi, who has coined the slogan of “supportive power” in the party’s context.
Mock Voting Process for Voting for Himachal Pradesh
Voting preparations begin for the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, visuals from a booth in Hamirpur.
highest polling booth
Blessed with unparalleled natural beauty, Himachal Pradesh, the state is also home to the highest polling station in the world. The Tashigang polling station is located at an altitude of 15,256 feet above sea level, making it the highest point in the world.
However, despite the treacherous terrain, the Tashigang polling station had recorded 100 per cent voter turnout in the last Lok Sabha election. 47 registered voters including 29 men and 18 women cast their votes for the Lok Sabha by-elections.
Himachal elections: Security arrangements
67 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) comprising 6,700 personnel and 15 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies have been deployed to conduct free and fair assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.
Apart from this, 50 thousand government employees have been put on pole duty. There are also 25,000 police officers deployed across the state.
800 personnel have also been deployed in teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF).
Himachal Pradesh Election: About Polling Stations
According to the Election Commission, a total of 7,881 polling stations have been set up for today’s polling. Kangra district has the maximum number of polling stations at 1,625 while Lahaul-Spiti district has the minimum of 92. There are 7,235 polling stations in rural areas and 646 polling stations in urban areas.
Apart from this, three auxiliary polling stations will also be set up at Siddhbari (Dharamshala), Bada Bhangal (Baijnath) and Dhillon (Kasauli).
Himachal Assembly Elections: Key Players and Constituencies
Siraj Constituency: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is contesting from here again. Congress has fielded Chetram Thakur, who had contested from this seat last time as well.
Haroli Constituency: Congress Legislature Party leader Mukesh Agnihotri is contesting his fifth election from Haroli assembly constituency in Una district. BJP has pitted state spokesperson Ram Kumar against him.
Nadaun: Former Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who is considered to be the chief ministerial candidate, is contesting from here. BJP has fielded Vijay Agnihotri.
Dalhousie Constituency: Former Himachal minister and Congress leader Asha Kumari is contesting from here. He is pitted against BJP’s DS Thakur and AAP’s Manish Sareen.
Darrang: Senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur is once again contesting from his traditional seat against BJP’s Puran Chand Thakur and AAP’s Sunita Thakur.
Shimla Rural: Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh is seeking re-election from Shimla Rural. BJP has fielded Ravi Mehta from this seat.
Shimla Urban: Congress’s Harish Janartha is pitted against BJP’s ‘Chaiwala’ candidate Sanjay Sood. AAP’s Chaman Rakesh Ajta and CPI(M)’s Tikendra Singh Pawar are also in the fray.
Nurpur: BJP has fielded Ranveer Singh, who is contesting against Congress’s Ajay Mahajan and AAP’s Manishi Kumari.
Nagrota: Congress candidate RS Bali is pitted against BJP candidate Arun Kumar Mehra and APP candidate Umakant Dogra.
Reconciliation: Himachal Pradesh Speaker Vipin Parmar is contesting against Jagdish Safia and AAP candidate Ravinder Singh.
Sujanpur: The Congress has again fielded Rajinder Singh Rana, who defeated former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in the 2017 elections. BJP has fielded Ranjit Singh and AAP has fielded Anil Rana from this seat.
Bharmour: From Bharmaur, BJP’s doctor Janak Raj is fighting with senior Congress leader Thakur Singh Bharmauri. AAP has fielded Prakash Chand Bhardwaj.
Jubbal Kotkhai: The Congress has fielded sitting MLA Rohit Thakur. He is contesting against BJP’s Chetan Singh Bragta. The CPI(M) has fielded Vishal Shangta and Shrikant Chauhan is the AAP candidate.
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