Congress ahead in Himachal, but remains jittery
To counter any possible poaching attempts, a jittery Congress is likely to move some of its MLAs to Raipur in Chhattisgarh
New Delhi, Dec 08: The Congress is nearing the majority mark in Himachal Pradesh. The BJP is fighting in a state which has traditionally voted for a change in every election.
At the time of writing this copy, the Congress was leading in 39 of the 68 seats. The BJP, on the other hand, is leading on 26 seats. Reports said the Congress is jittery and may send in some national leaders to the hill state. The party is likely to move some of its MLAs to Raipur in Chhattisgarh to counter any possible poaching attempts.
The exit polls had indicated a close fight between the BJP and the Congress. Some had even predicted a hung House in Himachal.
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In the run up to the elections, the two issues which were in play were whether the state's rivaaj (tradition) of changing the government every elections would continue or not, and if a large number of rebels can dent BJP's chances.In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won comfortably with 44 seats while the Congress bagged 21 and the CPI-M ended up with one. Two Independent candidates won the elections.
Himachal polls: CM Thakur wins Seraj as BJP leads in 31
Since 1985, no party had come to power consecutively. The BJP had put up an impressive campaign and its slogan this time was 'Raj nahin, riwaaj badlega'.
In Gujarat, the BJP has surged ahead and is all set to break its record. The party, at the time of writing this copy, was leading in 157 seats while the Congress was ahead in 18 and AAP in 5.
Simultaneously, votes polled in by-elections in six assembly constituencies in five states and the high-profile Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, where the opposition Samajwadi Party is locked in a battle for prestige with the BJP, are also being counted.