BJP back to power in Himachal Pradesh, questions remain on CM as Prem Kumar Dhumal loses

SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh continues with its trend of alternately electing Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party governments since 1985. The Modi-powered BJP is all set to wrest the hill state, winning 25 seats and leading in 19 as counting progressed in the state Assembly elections.

The ruling Congress won 14 and was ahead in 7 in the 68-member house. A majority will come with 35 seats. In the outgoing house, Congress had 36 seats, and BJP 26.

In a huge embarrassment for the BJP, its chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal was defeated by Congress' Rajinder Rana in Sujanpur, after he changed his traditional constituency of Hamirpur. He was made the CM face only nine days before the polling.

While Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh won with a handsome margin from Arki, his son Vikramaditya Singh also marked his maiden victory in the assembly with a comfortable margin from Shimla (Rural), the seat his father was earlier representing.

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Dhumal's close confidants Ravinder Ravi, Gulab Singh and Randhir Sharma, all sitting legislators, and Tejwant Negi, lost.

Congress cabinet ministers Sudhir Sharma, Thakur Singh and Prakash Chaudhary faced defeat from the BJP.

Chaudhary lost from Balh in Mandi district with a big margin. BJP's Inder Singh Gandhi won this seat.

Likewise, BJP's Ravindra Dhiman defeated Congress' sitting legislator Yadvinder Goma from Jaisinghpur and Kishori Lal of the BJP defeated Bansi Lal of the Congress from Anni seat.

BJP's sitting legislator Suresh Bhardwaj retained his Shimla seat, defeating Congress' Harbhajan Bhajji.

Anil Sharma, who resigned from the government and the ruling Congress and joined the opposition BJP just ahead of the polls along with his father and former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram, retained his Mandi seat.

Independent Hoshiar Singh dealt a humiliating defeat to BJP and Congress heavyweights Ravinder Ravi and Viplove Thakur, respectively, in Dehra.

Congress' sitting legislator Anirudh Singh retained his Kasumpti seat by defeating BJP's Vijay Jyoti Sain. Both belong to the royal families.

CPI-M's Rakesh Singha defeated his near rival Rakesh Verma of the BJP from Theog.

A total of 337 candidates contested the November 9 election. A total of 37,83,580 people voted in the hill state -- a record 75.28 per cent polling.

The Congress and the BJP contested in all the 68 constituencies. Most exit polls had predicted the BJP's return to power with a majority.

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.

Virbhadra Singh owns up for Congress' defeat

Virbhadra Singh accepted the party`s defeat in the state assembly elections, and took responsibility for the same.

"I accept the victory of BJP. I was the Chief Minister, I was leading the party here so I take responsibility of our performance," Singh told reporters here, and added, "the setback we received is because we didn`t have resources to contest elections."

(With agencies inputs)