The EC had earlier this month declared the date for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. The hill state will have a single-phase election on November 12. The counting of votes polled in both elections will take place on December 8.
In the run-up to the crucial election to the 182-seat Gujarat Assembly, aggressive campaigning is being done by the ruling BJP, opposition Congress and also the new entrant AAP, which is trying to make inroads in the state. The AAP has made several poll promises, while the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to lure voters.
Gujarat Election 2017
In 2017, Gujarat saw a close fight between Congress and the BJP. While BJP won 99 of the 182 seats, the Congress secured 77. This year's election is set to be a three-cornered battle between the BJP, the Congress and the AAP. The BJP, which is looking to secure its sixth straight term, changed its entire cabinet a few months ago to beat anti-incumbency.
As per an ABP CVoter opinion poll, the ruling BJP is predicted to maintain its streak for the seventh time since 1995 with victory in an estimated 135 to 143 seats, which would be a significant gain from its 2017 tally of 99 seats.
The party is expected to secure a vote share of 57 per cent from upper-caste Hindus. The Congress may get around 26 per cent upper caste Hindu vote share, while the debutant AAP could get 14 per cent vote share in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections.
As per the opinion poll, 41 per cent of tribal voters are predicted to elect BJP. The Congress is predicted to garner 37 per cent tribal vote share and the AAP may get around 18 per cent of tribal votes.