HP Results 2022: Seesaw Battle In Hill State, BJP-Congress Neck-And-Neck After 1 Hour Of Counting

Himachal Pradesh Poll Result 2022: Early trends showed the ruling BJP and Congress tie or attain a very close lead against each other. Meanwhile, the AAP has failed to secure a lead in any seat.

New Delhi: As per early trends, the contest for Himachal Pradesh is turning out to be a close one between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress while the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is yet to make an impression.

Counting of votes for the Assembly polls began on Thursday in Himachal Pradesh where the ruling BJP is hoping to retain power as opposed to precedent. The BJP's all-out personalised campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempted to buck the 'alternative government' trend.

Early trends showed the ruling BJP and Congress tie or attain a very close lead against each other. Meanwhile, the AAP has not been able to secure a lead in any seat. Here is the latest update:

Party	Seats (68)
BJP	33
Congress	32
AAP	0
Others	03

In the case of a tie or either party failing to secure a majority, independents would play the role of kingmakers in enabling either side to form the government in Himachal.

Here is the official ECI trend wherein the ruling BJP is shown to be leading:

Himachal Pradesh Exit Poll 2022

ABP-CVoter Exit Poll Results 2022 for Himachal Pradesh suggest that BJP will be able to retain the hill state with 33 to 41 assembly seats coming in their kitty, which means they will be just two short of the majority even if they get only the minimum seats projected. Congress will be breathing down BJP's neck but the projected seat range (24 to 32 assembly seats) suggest that it will not be enough to get over the hump — three short of the majority even if they get the maximum seats projected.

With independents pegged to get 0 to 4 seats, they are set to play a big role in both scenarios, as has been the case in the past in Himachal.

BJP vs Congress In Himachal Pradesh

For the opposition Congress, a victory in Himachal is much-needed for its revival, as it has seen a spate of electoral losses in the last few years.

Himachal Pradesh has not returned any incumbent government to power in the last nearly four decades.

The Congress has expressed confidence in the party winning the assembly polls, saying the voters will decide on the fundamental issues of price rise, joblessness, the old pension scheme, and other challenges of life they have been facing.

The opposition party which holds power of its own only in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, hopes that the party's revival will start from Himachal Pradesh.

The results will also throw up if the entrant Aam Aadmi Party, which carried out a muted campaign for the November 12 elections, has been able to make any mark in the hill state in its bid to expand its base.

Counting Of Votes

Counting of votes began at 8 am at 68 counting halls spread across 59 locations throughout the state with the taking up of postal ballots first.

After a gap of 30 minutes from the commencement of counting of postal ballot papers, counting of votes for electronic voting machines (EVMs) commenced at 8.30 am.

The EVM counting will continue irrespective of the stage of postal ballot counting, the Election Commission stated.

The commission has made elaborate arrangements for the counting of votes with more than 10,000 security personnel, returning officers, and other support staff overseeing the counting process for the 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh.

About 76.44 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise in the assembly polls held on November 12.

As many as 52,859 (87 per cent approximately) postal ballots were received by December 6 by the returning officers from all over the state – an increase of 17 per cent as compared to 2017. A total of 45,126 postal ballots were received in 2017, news agency PTI reported.