Gujarat, Himachal polls: Stage set for counting of votes tomorrow

Ahmedabad/ Shimla, December 17

The counting of votes for the high-stakes and hotly-contested Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, which will have a bearing on the national stage, will be held on Monday.

While the Gujarat Assembly polls is being considered a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his home state and a litmus test for new Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the fate of 337 candidates, including Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his predecessor Prem Kumar Dhumal, will be known tomorrow as counting of votes is taken up in Himachal.

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While the BJP is seeking a sixth straight term in office in Gujarat, the Congress is aiming to stage a comeback in power after being in the opposition for over two decades.

The results are expected to have a bearing on the 2019 parliamentary polls also as Modi had come to power in 2014, based on the Gujarat ‘model of development’.

The much-awaited results of the keenly-fought elections will be announced tomorrow when the counting of votes will be held at 37 centres across the state’s 33 districts, amidst tight security.

The voting was held following an acrimonious campaign, where both the main political parties indulged in no-holds-barred attacks on each others.

Modi led the campaign for the BJP, while Rahul Gandhi was the pivot of the Congress’ electioneering.

During the campaign, Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah trained guns on the Congress on issues like Ram Temple, alleged Pakistani interference in the Gujarat polls and (suspended Congress leader) Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remarks.

Gandhi persistently attacked Modi and the BJP for “not talking about the future of Gujarat” and skipping key issues being faced by the people of the state.

The Congress also stitched about a broad social coalition with prominent Patidar, OBC, and Dalit leaders — Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jigesh Mevani — in its bid to unseat the BJP in power for over two decades.

An average 68.41 per cent polling was recorded in the two-phase Assembly elections in Gujarat.

Himachal Pradesh witnessed a record 75.28 per cent turnout and pollsters have predicted a BJP vitory.

Adequate security arrangements have been made for counting which would start simultaneously in all 68 constituencies at 42 counting centres.

Corruption was the main focus of the BJP campaign with the party training its guns at Chief Minister Singh, while the Congress hit out at the BJP over the issue of GST and demonetisation.

Himachal has a tradition of change in government after every elections and going by the trend, this time it is the turn of the BJP which is upbeat after exit poll results.

There are 25 Congress, 28 BJP and four Independent MLAs in the outgoing House while one seat was lying vacant after death of former minister Karan Singh from Banjar.

While the BJP is confident of winning the polls with a comfortable majority, the Congress has rejected the exit-polls and claimed that it was all set to repeat.

The BJP ousted the Congress in 1990 and the Congress avenged defeat in 1993. The BJP formed the government with the help of Himachal Vikas Congress in 1998 and the Congress was back in power in 2003. The BJP made a comeback in 2007. — PTI