Himachal Pradesh is set to see heightened political activity with the Election Commission having announed the poll dates.
The state polls would be held on November 12, and counting of votes would happen on December 8. This is set to be the first time in nearly two years that state polls would be held without strict coronavirus restrictions in place.
“Coronavirus is no longer much of a concern,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Shukla said, addressing the much-awaited briefer on Friday. Earlier this year when polling was held in five states, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Goa and Punjab, India was dealing with a surge in Covid cases due to a new variant – Omicron- which had caught several countries unaware. In many of the top cities in India, the variant had compelled the authorities to bring back tighter curbs.
Meanwhile, the BJP – which rules both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh – is hoping for a smooth comeback in both the states. The polling schedule for Gujarat is expected to be announced soon. While Gujarat, Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s home state, has a 182-member assembly, the Himachal assembly has 68 seats.
Himachal Pradesh has nearly 55 lakh voters. Of these, 1.5 lakh are above 80; and 1.86 lakh are first-time voters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has already sounded the poll bugle in both the states, has been attacking the Congress in his speeches. He even accused the party of “outsourcing the job of attacking him” to Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party.
Meanwhile, the AAP – that aims to expand its national footprint – is set to contest all seats in Himachal and has expressed confidence that it would form the government in Gujarat. It has been campaigning with its educational policies and subsidized electricity as the key highlights. The party had claimed a handsome victory in Punjab earlier this year, the second state it won after Delhi.
For the Congress, which has been holding a mass contact programme of Bharat Jodo, it would be question of revival of its electoral fortunes.