Close contest between Congress, BJP as early trends emerge in Himachal
According to the trends, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was leading on 33, Congress 32, and independents on three seats
Early trends in the counting of votes in Himachal Pradesh showed a close contest between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the difference between leading candidates on many seats under 1,000 votes, meaning the results could swing either way.
According to the trends, the BJP was leading on 33, Congress on 32, and independents on three seats. In Kangra district, which sends 15 lawmakers to the 68-member Himachal assembly, the Congress was leading on eight, the BJP on six and an independent in one constituency.
In chief minister Jairam Thakur’s Mandi district, it was neck and neck. The Congress and BJP were ahead on five seats each. The BJP was leading on three seats and Congress on two in Hamirpur, the home district of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his son and Union minister Anurag Thakur. The Congress was leading on six seats, the BJP and an independent one each in Shimla.
Anticipating a close contest, the Congress was likely to shift its lawmakers to Chandigarh and then to Raipur if it is in the position to form the government. “We have told MLAs [members of legislative assembly] to be in touch with Haryana Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and he would be handling the arrangements,” said a Himachal Congress leader, requesting anonymity.
The plight of apple growers and the promise of the restoration of the old pension scheme were Congress’s two major poll issues. The BJP focussed on development works.
Apple production in Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, and parts of Mandi districts contribute 13.5% to the state gross domestic product with an annual turnover of over ₹6,000 crore. While it has grown by two to three percent per year in the past decades, the profitability has dipped due to rising input costs and falling market rates. Apple growers have influence in 17 of the 68 assembly seats.
Himachal has the highest percentage (3.5%) of the population in government services for any state and is considered a backbone of large sections of people in absence of significant industries and other job opportunities.
Government servants and apple growers are considered narrative setters in Himachal Pradesh elections as they are economically more influential and have the capability to swing polls. With a rising population and government hiring on a downward slide, experts said their influence is not as huge as it used to be.
In March, police used batons and water canons to disperse about 30,000 protesting government employees assembled at the state assembly in Shimla. Thereafter, the employees organised protests at all districts and blocks until October 14 when the November 12 polls were announced.
In August, the apple growers held a protest at the secretariat in Shimla demanding higher support prices and the reduction of the Goods and Services Tax on cartons and other supplementary goods.
