Himachal Pradesh assembly polls: Ballots sealed, over to result day

BJP’s ‘riwaz badal raha hai’ is pitted against Congress bid to regain power in the hill state

The polling was steady and is said to be moderate with Election Commission keeping the turnout at 66%. (Photo | PTI)

CHANDIGARH: Placed in a unique battle whose outcome is often discussed with a history of electoral contests since the formation of Himachal Pradesh, the ruling BJP on Saturday saw the voting across the state with a sense of ‘riwaz badal raha hai’ (the tradition is changing). The slogan is often associated with the party’s belief in returning to power as against the record of the state choosing either BJP or Congress alternately.

The polling was steady and is said to be moderate with Election Commission keeping the turnout at 66%, less than in the previous 2017 figure at 75%, for the 68-member Assembly. The results will be out on Dec 8.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg said the final figures will be known after all election teams return and final scrutiny of documents is completed. The state is crucial for the BJP which has two of its top leaders – party chief JP Nadda and Union minister Anurag Thakur — coming from the state.

Voters wade through snow to reach their nearest polling station in the Bharmour Assembly constituency area in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday. (Photo | PTI)

In the rag)e and rancor of the election campaign, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who became the most significant factor for the BJP, yet again. “Each vote given to ‘Lotus’ (the BJP poll symbol) will be a vote for Modi himself,” all state party leaders declared in their respective campaigns.

The Congress has depended more on traditional logic than the edge it could claim to enjoy. As the poll dates drew closer, the party virtually lost the firepower to the ever-aggressive BJP. Not that the saffron camp does not have its share of problems: at least 17 of its prospective candidates who failed to get the party nomination have stood up as rebels – in one case, despite the PM’s reported direct intervention.

The promises in the form of freebies offered by Congress and AAP have not changed the poll narrative. The BJP took respite in Congress chastising AAP for failing to fulfill its promises in neighbouring Punjab. The Congress wagers that it has an advantage by promising Old Pension Scheme in a state where more than 2.5 lakh people are in government jobs. Meanwhile, in a complaint to the Election Commission, the state Congress alleged that the BJP circulated a forged letter to influence voting patterns in its favour.