Himachal Pradesh election result highlights: Congress wins 40 seats, returns to power; BJP claims 25

Congress won the Himachal Pradesh assembly election by bagging 40 seats, according to the final result updated by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The BJP ended up with 25 seats, while the AAP managed to win only five.

In terms of vote share in Himachal, Congress is only marginally ahead of the BJP having 43.90 per cent of votes compared to 42.99 per cent of its arch-rival. Others have garnered a 10.4 per cent vote share in the hill state.

BJP tried to nip anti-incumbency in Himachal Pradesh by dropping 11 of its 44 MLAs. But, that boomeranged and led to a full-scale rebellion. Many of the rebels could not be pacified and it is being believed that it costed the party 10-odd seats – a crucial difference that may have caused it power. 

Veteran Congress leader Dhani Ram Shandil retained the Solan seat in Himachal Pradesh, defeating his nearest BJP rival and son-in-law Rajesh Kashyap. Dhani Ram Shandil, a retired army colonel and the oldest candidate in the fray at 82, had maintained a lead over Rajesh Kashyap right from the start, and the final margin of victory was 3,858 votes.

Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh said that the party is not worried about poaching, as she called Congress' victory in the state an "emotional moment".

The Congress leader said “It is a very emotional moment for me as I can see the same kind of support from people as it was for the late Virbhadra Singh. Chandigarh is an easily accessible meeting point for MLAs and we are not worried about poaching.”

As Congress was poised to form government in Himachal Prades, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra has contributed in party's performance in the hill state.

"We have won the Himachal elections. I want to thank the people, our workers and leaders as due to their efforts this result has come. I want to thank Priyanka Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra also helped us with this. Sonia Gandhi's blessings are also with us," Mallikarjun Kharge said. 

Outgoing Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur tendered his resignation and congratulated the Congress party on its victory. 

"I thank the people of Himachal Pradesh for the affection and support for the BJP. We will keep working to fulfil the aspirations of the state and raise people’s issues in the times to come," PM Modi tweeted. 

BJP candidate D S Thakur defeated six-time Congress MLA Asha Kumari in Himachal Pradesh's Dalhousie assembly seat by a margin of 9,918 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Asha Kumari was among the chief ministerial probables in Himachal Pradesh.

Congress officially touches majority mark in Himachal Pradesh, the Election Commission site showed. 

Former Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Kuldeep Rathore won from Theog assembly seat in Shimla district, defeating the BJP's Ajay Shyam by 5,269 votes, according to the Election Commission.

The stakes were high for Kuldeep Rathore, who was contesting for the first time.

Incumbent Congress MLA Bhawani Singh won the Himachal Pradesh's Fatehpur seat by defeating his nearest rival forest minister Rakesh Pathania with a margin of 7,354 votes.

The contest for Fatehpur was keenly watched as Rakesh Pathania, who has won three times from Nurpur assembly seat, was shifted to the constituency.

"Heartfelt thanks to the people of Himachal Pradesh for this decisive victory. Hearty congratulations to all Congress workers and leaders. Your hard work and dedication really deserves the best wishes for this victory. I assure you again, every promise made to the public will be fulfilled at the earliest," Rahul Gandhi said.

The chief minister of Himachal Pradesh will be picked by the Congress high command, a party leader said.

Sudhir Sharma, who has won his seat defeating BJP's Rakesh Choudhary by 3,285 votes in the Dharamsala constituency, said, "I am grateful to the people of Dharmsala. This election has been fought by the people of Dharamshala."

Kangra, which figures as Trigarta kingdom in the Hindu epic Mahabharata and has the distinction of tilting political scales ever since it was merged in Himachal Pradesh in 1966, has again lived up to the tradition of voting out the ruling party. Read more

Veteran Congress leader Dhani Ram Shandil has retained his Solan seat in Himachal Pradesh, defeating his nearest BJP rival and son-in-law Rajesh Kashyap.

The question still has no answer yet. Although Pratibha Singh, congress chief in Himachal Pradesh said that legacy cannot be ignored. Late Virbhadra Singh's wife, Pratibha Singh added that she is thankful to the people of Himachal Pradesh for the party's showing in the elections. 

Himachal Pradesh Minister Ram Lal Markanda lost from Lahaul and Spiti assembly seat to his nearest Congress rival Ravi Thakur by a margin of 1,616 votes, according to the Election Commission. 

"I respect people's mandate & I want to thank PM & other central leadership during last 5 yrs. We'll stand for the development of the state irrespective of politics. We'll analyse our shortcoming and improve during the next term," Outgoing CM Jairam Thakur said. 

With the Congress on track to defeat the BJP and return to power in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur conceded the party's defeat, saying he respected the verdict given by the people. He stated that he would soon be head to the governor's office to submit his resignation.

“I will tender my resignation to the Governor in a short while from now”, Outgoing Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur said. 

Independent candidate Hoshiyar Singh won the Dehra assembly seat, defeating his Congress rivals by more than 3,500 votes in the Himachal Pradesh poll results. Hoshiyar Singh defeated Rajesh Sharma by a margin of 3,877 votes.

BJP's Dilip Thakur won from Sarkaghat constituency of Mandi district with a thin margin of 1,807 votes, defeating Congress's Pawan Kumar. 

So far, BJP has won seven out of ten seats of Mandi. Congress has won one. Results of two more yet to be declared.