Waiting with bated breath for the counting of votes on Thursday, December 8, all candidates, senior leaders of the contesting parties and their supporters are skeptical about the results. They are making tall claims of victory but also appear to be confused after the projections in exit polls.
Congress leaders, who were confident of victory, are assessing the post-poll situation, indicating that a clear majority might elude the party.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders are also in touch with independents as their support will be crucial in case of a hung assembly.
The fate of 412 candidates would be decided Thursday and the results would also decide whether the “Riwaz” (tradition of changing the government after every five years) would continue or change and the BJP would return to power.
In Himachal, claims of political parties and their leaders often have no relevance because the electorate is politically quite mature and they make up their mind much in advance. The media and politicians often fail to see the “undercurrent” and later describe the results as surprising and shocking, said a veteran politician who quit electoral politics a few years ago.
Will There Be A Hung Assembly?
There is a neck-and-neck contest between the BJP and the Congress in more than two dozen seats, while 27 rebels — 20 of BJP and seven of Congress — queered the pitch for official party candidates. The Aam Aadmi Party, which started its campaign almost two months ahead of polls, failed to keep up the momentum, and the arrest of main campaigner Satyendra Jain and raids on the premises of key leaders like Manish Sisodia dampened to the spirits of candidates and state party leaders. The party was almost grounded after the announcement of tickets.
However, political observers dismiss the chances of a hung assembly and maintain that in case there is any undercurrent, the BJP has no chance to repeat the government and if there is no undercurrent, the Congress has no chance to win.
The results would also decide whether heavy polling is an indication of change and if independents would have any meaningful role in the formation of the new government.
Prakash Chandra Lohumi is a veteran journalist who has covered Himachal Pradesh for over five decades.
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