Raaj vs Riwaaz: Himachal Pradesh Sees 75% Polling As Congress Eyes Comeback And BJP Seeks Second Term

The figures say Neeraj Sharma , Office-on-Special Duty (OSD), Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation Programme (SWEEP) will further go up to create a record of sorts in the hill state.

"We have 2.2 postal ballots from Special categories , police force, Employees on emergency duties .There are going to be another 0.5 percent from the defence personnel" he old Outlook this morning.

In 2017, Himachal Pradesh had 75.57 percent votes when ruling congress got wiped out of the power marking the BJP's come-back.

So, what does the higher polling percentage mean to Himachal Pradesh? Is the custom of alternating power changing? The BJP claims that Riwaaz badal raha hai and that?Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aapeal has big role to play in wooing Himachali voters.?The BJP leaders hvave also attribute the?higher polling to better mobilisation ?of their cadre voters.

The Congress, however,?is banking on continuity of the rotaional pattern of anti-incumbency in the?state, coupled with its guarantees to?implement?the Old Pension scheme (OPS) and provide?one lakh jobs within first 10 days of the government formation.

While Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s constituency has polled 82.02 percent votes,?highest in the district and?definitely a sign?of his?re-election for?the sixth term as MLA, Prem Kumar Dhumal or Pushkar Singh Dhami?lost their constituencies despite the parties winning.

That, however, doesn’t go well in case of several ministers like Govind Thakur, who polled 79.48 percent votes or Suresh Bhardwaj – senior most minister polling 67 percent votes. His constituency was changed from Shimla to Kasumpti.

Another cabinet minister Rakesh Pathania, whose constituency was changed from Nurpur to Fatehpur and faces a BJP Rebel Kripal Parmar (former Rajya Sabha member) has?polled 70 percent votes. Parmar had refused to withdraw from the contest despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi making him a call.

But that does means a lot on some of hot seats contested by the Congress leaders viz Vikaramaditya Singh, son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh polling 72.50 percent votes, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri's seat saw?78 percent voter turnout, Sukhwinder Sukhu of the Congress campaign saw?73.68 percent polling. The 76.50 percent polling in Drang constituency indicated a predictable and incredible ninth victory for?Kaul Singh Thakur, a former Speaker.

Dalhousie,?the constituency where?Asha Kumari is seeking her seventh term, polled?74.67 percent votes. ?Since the Congress has not projected any Chief Ministerial candidate to contain factionalism, any of these leaders?may be potential?Chief Ministerial candidates. One of the biggest and politically sensitive districts Kangra with its 15 seats, recorded 71.27 percent polling .

Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur with 10 assembly constituencies polled 74.94 percent votes. In 2017, the BJP had won nine out of the ten seats in Mandi whilet he one elected?independent candidate also turned to the BJP eventually.

If the party is able to win even half of the seats, it will definitely reflect on Thakur’s leadership. Not to forget that the BJP lost the Mandi Parliamentary bypoll in November 2021 causing a huge embarrassment to the ruling dispensation. This became a high point for the Congress terming it as a semi-final before the final (assembly elections).

Veteran journalist?Prakesh Lohumi says,?“One of the factors I see in November 12 polling is an under current against the government. It’s not just OPS but also inflation, employment and inefficient governance narrative. People say there is no wave but why such?high polling then? The reason is disenchantment with the government—that’s the pattern in Himachal Pradesh.”

In 2017, when the BJP returned the poll winning 44 seats, the highest ever it had won, the poll percentage bordered on 75 percent. There was a clear wave, corruption was a?major issue, beside women security in the backdrop of rape and murder case of a Kotkhai girl.

The Congress taking big advantage of the OPS could make significant gains as the employees unions had “campaigned’ openly on the slogan “vote for OPS”.

“We have promised, with our 10 guarantees, to restore OPS in the first cabinet meeting of the new government. We are going to form the government.The people have defeated the money power,. There will be a clear verdict in favour of the congress’ Said Pratibha Singh, PCC president. ?

Even even places like where voters had to brave?minus degree temperatures in the cold deserts of Spiti, voter turnout was as high as?77.89 percent. All 52 voters at Tashinang, the world's highest polling booth voted, voted, with the booth located ar a height of?15,256 ft recorded 100 percent polling.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who campaigned in the state in an effort to reverse irs?37-year-old anti-incumbency trend?in favour of the BJP, played an emotional card by telling voters that each vote you cast for ‘lotus’ will go directly to him, to strengthen him.

“Ghar ja kar kehna ?Modi ji aaye the , Namaskar bheja”, he? said a poll rally at Solan.

The Congress, which tried to fight the election mainly on local issues, failures of the Jai Ram Thakur government, also invoked former Virbhadra Singh card. Full page ads in newspapers proclaiming?"Mujhe yaad rakhna” were flashed a day before the polling.

The Congress did not project as Chief Ministerial candidate owing to factionalism in the party and fought the elections under the united leadership of Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh.

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi took charge of the campaign,?invoking her grand mother Indira Gandhi and the granting of statetehood?to connect with the people of Himachal Pradesh.?
She held back-to-back rallies across the?length and width of the state, keeping the BJP on?its toes despite?Rahul Gandhi being?busy with?Bharat Jodo Yatra and having no time to?campaign with his eyes on a bigger prize.

Meanwhile, the priciple concern?for the BJP, admits a senior leader, is?the presence of 21 rebels, a few of whom have?quite the potential to cause damage.

In this election, the prestige of BJP National president JP Nadda is also at stake as this is the?first election under his stewardship as party Chief?after?led the party to successful outcomes in UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.

Himachal Pradesh polls might also prove to be a litmus test for Modi's appeal?ahead of the upcoming 2024 Parliamentary elections.