Himachal Elections 2022 Archives - Lokmarg

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu To Take Oath As Himachal’s CM

By LokMarg 10th December 2022

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu was on Saturday chosen as leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Himachal Pradesh paving way for his elevation as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

The newly-elected MLAs had on Friday adopted a resolution authorizing the party high command to select the leader of the legislature party. A meeting of party MLAs was held here in the evening.
Congress leadership had earlier in the day sounded that Sukhu will be the new chief minister after which supporters of state Congress chief Pratibha Singh had raised slogans demanding that she should be made the Chief Minister.

Himachal Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajeev Shukla, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Himachal observer Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh Congress Chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh, and several other Congress leaders were in Shimla to oversee the election of the new leader.

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said that the high command has chosen Sukhu as leader of the legislature party and Mukesh Agnihotri will be Deputy Chief Minister.

“Oath ceremony will take place tomorrow at 11 am,” he said.

Sukhu, 58, lauded Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi after his election and said the party will fulfill its poll promises.

He said the new government will “bring change”.

“I am thankful to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and the people of the state. Our government will bring change. It is my responsibility to fulfill the promises we made to the people of Himachal Pradesh. We have to work for the development of the state,” he said.

Sukhu said he and Mukesh Agnihotri, who will be made Deputy Chief Minister, will work as a team.

“Deputy CM designate Mukesh Agnihotri and I will work as a team. I started my political career at the age of 17 years. I will never be able to forget what the Congress party has done for me,” he said.

Congress won the assembly polls in the state and got 40 seats. (ANI)

No Groupism In Cong: Himachal Party Chief Pratibha Singh

By LokMarg 9th December 2022

Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh informed that they will be holding a meeting to decide upon the name of the Chief Minister of the hill state in the evening.

“We will be holding a meeting in the evening and then deciding the name of the CM. There is no groupism and everybody is with us,” Pratibha Singh said hours after her statement sparked a row of controversy.
State President Pratibha Virbhadra Singh, in a conversation with ANI, was seen hinting at her desire to be chosen as the CM of the state as she said that the party cannot ignore the person (her husband- Virbhadra Singh) in whose name it contested the polls and won.

“They can’t neglect his (Virbhadra Singh) family. We won on his name, face, and work. It can’t be the case that you use his name, face, and family and then give all the credit to someone else. Even High Command won’t do this,” she had said.

Having said the aforesaid, Congress leader Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said that the MLA selected by the party’s High Command would become the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, another Congress leader Kuldeep Singh Rathore also said that there are no differences of opinion among the party MLAs as everyone has come here on the party ticket.

“Nobody is narrating any different story. everyone has been chosen by the party ticket and everyone would respect the Congress high command’s decision,” Kuldeep Singh Rathore said ANI.

He further added that a decision will be taken by the party leaders, and supervisors Bhupinder Hooda and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel will be conveyed to the party high command and they will then take the final call, he said.

Chhattisgarh CM and party’s Himachal supervisor Bhupesh Baghel clarified that there was no question of neglecting anyone and the party would go on by taking everyone together.

“There is no question of neglecting anyone. Everyone will be taken together to go ahead. Everyone has the right to express their opinion. There is no problem,” CM Baghel said as he landed in Shimla for the meeting.

He said that it is the victory of the people of Shimla and Congress leaders and workers. “Everyone worked hard. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra played the most crucial role, and we also had blessings of Sonia Ji and Rahul Gandhi Ji,” said Baghel.

Finalizing its chief ministerial candidate for Himachal Pradesh appears to be a big task for Congress with various aspirants in the fray including Pratibha Singh. Former state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri are also seen as the other contenders for the post.

Congress returned to power in Himachal Pradesh after five years in the results announced on Thursday. The Congress won 40 seats in the 68-member assembly riding on anti-incumbency.

While Congress won 40 seats in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP won 25 seats. Independents won three seats and AAP failed to open its account in the state.

In terms of vote share in Himachal, Congress is only marginally ahead of the BJP has got 43.88 percent of votes compared to 42.99 percent of its rival. Others garnered a 10.4 percent vote share in the hill state.

Himachal Pradesh has a long tradition of alternating governments and Congress was on the right side of anti-incumbency. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur resigned following the party’s defeat in the polls. Notably, in the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP formed the government by winning 44 seats while Congress secured 21 seats. (ANI)

Himachal Elections 2022: Polling Nov 12, Counting Of Votes On Dec 8

By LokMarg 14th October 2022

Himachal Pradesh will go to polls on November 12 to elect its next government and the results will be declared on December 8, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday.

The ECI did not announce the dates of the Gujarat Assembly polls which were also expected to be held by the end of this year.
The ECI held a press conference for the election schedule announcement of Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh on Friday. “We are committed to conducting free and fair elections,” says the EC commissioner at the press conference.

We are making efforts to increase the participation of people in elections and we also try to manifest women empowerment through elections, he added.

The term of the Gujarat Assembly ends on February 18, 2023, while the term of the Himachal House will end on January 8, 2023.

In the 182-seated Gujarat Assembly, there are 111 BJP and 62 Congress MLAs.

Last month, the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey visited Gujarat and Himachal to review poll preparedness.

The 14th Gujarat Legislative Assembly election was held on December 9 and 14 in 2017 to elect the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). The votes were counted on 18 December.

The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) obtained a simple majority with an increase in the vote share in the last election. Despite a decrease in the number of seats, the BJP retained its simple majority in the house and formed government for the sixth time.

In the results declared for all the 182-seated Gujarat Assembly, BJP won 99 seats, Congress wins 77, 1 seat was won by NCP while Bhartiya Tribal Party and Independent candidate won 2 and 3 seats respectively.

Himachal Pradesh voted to elect its legislative assembly on November 9, 2017.

In the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated the Congress Party and won 44 seats while Congress secured only 21 seats in 2017.

At present, in Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly, the BJP has 45 MLAs, while Congress has 22 and CPIM has 1 MLA.

In the upcoming state elections, The AAP is looking to set foot in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

In Gujarat, AAP could not open its account in the previous Assembly elections. After a massive victory in Punjab, the party is looking to spread its wings to other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress is gearing up to challenge the BJP.

With the announcement of the election schedule in both states, the model code of conduct will come into force. (ANI)