Himachal Election Result: The leads also showed Independents gainingthreeseats.
While Gujarat made its verdict clear early this morning — the BJP is headed for its strongest-ever result in the Prime Minister's home state — Himachal Pradesh turned into a thriller, swinging between the Congress and the BJP.
By 1.45 pm, the Congress had shot ahead to cross the majority mark of 35 — that came after hours of fluctuation.
If the Congress wins, the hill state will have stuck to its tradition of voting out the incumbent government. For nearly four decades, it has switched between the BJP and the Congress, denying both parties a consecutive term.
Congress sources said that the party will shift its MLAs via Chandigarh to Chhattisgarh — one of two states where it is in power — to prevent the BJP from trying to flip them.
The leads also showed Independents gaining three seats. The BJP has already launched an outreach to them. These Independents — two of them BJP rebels — could be a key factor in deciding who forms the government. Key to winning their support will be Prem Singh Dhumal, veteran BJP leader and a former Chief Minister of Himachal. The Independents are reportedly loyal to him.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Himachal Pradesh delivered a 61 per cent vote-share for the BJP — the highest in the entire country.
In the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP won a comfortable majority of 44; the Congress got 21.
The Aam Aadmi Party has not won a single seat though it swept the neighbouring state of Punjab in March this year.