New Delhi: Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prem Kumar Dhumal on Sunday expressed optimism that the party would once again form government in the state.


While addressing the media, he said the heavy turnout of women voters indicates that the BJP would be victorious in the assembly polls held on November 12. He also said that the people would reject the Congress as they are aware of the lofty promises made by the grand old party earlier which they failed to fulfill.


Dhumal said the "double-engine" government has given pace to the development in the state. He said that whenever the BJP came to power, the development rose to its peak and when the Congress party came to power, the development was haywire and corruption was at its peak.


The former CM said the claims of the Congress party leaders to form their government would fall flat. Polling for 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh was held on November 12, with the state recording a 75.6 percent turnout, breaking the 2017 record.


The results are scheduled to be declared on December 8. Earlier, during a review meeting of BJP’s election management committee at Parwanoo in Solan Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the BJP has been on the front foot because of its excellent election management.


He said that BJP has always focused on the planning and execution of policies. Thakur went on to congratulate the party leaders for their hard work and claimed that the saffron party was set to form a strong government in the hill state. In the 2017 elections, the BJP won 44 seats, Congress got 21 seats while CPI (M) and others got one each. Himachal has 68 assembly seats, and a party must secure at least 34 to form the government in the hill state.


(With agencies’ Inputs)