Himachal elections results: Rebels dent BJP, Congress’s prospects in 12 seats - Hindustan Times
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Himachal elections results: Rebels dent BJP, Congress’s prospects in 12 seats

By, Shimla
Dec 10, 2022 02:28 AM IST

The dissenters marred the prospects of the BJP in at least eight seats, while the Congress candidates were hit in four seats, according to an analysis of the election results.

Rebels within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in Himachal Pradesh played a spoilsport for candidates of the two parties after they contested and won the recently held assembly elections as Independents.

Congress supporters celebrate the party's victory in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, in Shimla on Thursday. (ANI)
Congress supporters celebrate the party's victory in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, in Shimla on Thursday. (ANI)

The dissenters marred the prospects of the BJP in at least eight seats, while the Congress candidates were hit in four seats, according to an analysis of the election results.

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A total of 99 Independents contested the polls, out of which 28 were rebels – 21 of the BJP and seven of the Congress.

Also Read | What Himachal verdict, Congress’s 1st win after 18 losses, means for the party

The three Independents who won the polls were BJP rebels – KL Thakur from Nalagarh, HoshyarSingh from Dehra and Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur.

Thakur is a former BJP legislator from Nalagarh seat. He contested as an Independent after he was denied a poll ticket, and defeated his nearest rival, Hardeep Singh Bawa of the Congress, by a margin of over 13,000 votes.

Former Congress legislator Lakhwinder Singh Rana, who contested on a BJP ticket, secured the third position. Thakur had won the 2012 elections on a BJP ticket but lost in 2017.

Singh joined the BJP this year and was expecting a party ticket. He won the 2017 elections as an Independent from Dehra.

Singh defeated his nearest rival, the Congress’s Dr Rajesh Sharma by 3,877 votes. The BJP’s Ramesh Dhawala slipped to the third position.

Independent MLA Sharma, who won the Hamirpur seat, switched over to the Congress from the BJP after he was denied a ticket. The Congress, however, denied him the same.

Sharma defeated the Congress’s Pushpinder Verma by nearly 13,000 votes. The BJP remained in the third position.

Rebels also damaged the BJP’s prospects in Kinnaur, Kullu, Dharamshala and Indora.

In Kinnaur, former BJP legislator Tejwant Singh Negi jumped into the poll fray as an Independent after the party chose to field Surat Negi. Tejwant secured 8,574 votes (19.25%), which was more than the Congress’s winning margin of 6,964 and became instrumental in the defeat of Surat.

In Kullu, the BJP replaced former MP and ex-state president Maheshwar Singh with Narotam Singh after the former’s son decided to contest the polls as an Independent from Banjar.

Another aspirant for the BJP’s ticket from Kullu, Ram Singh, polled 11,937 votes (16.77%) as an Independent. BJP candidate Narotam Singh was defeated by sitting Congress MLA Sunder Singh Thakur by a margin of 4,103 votes.

BJP rebel Vipin Singh Nehria polled 7,416 votes in Dharamshala constituency, which was much higher than Congress candidate Sudhir Sharma’s winning margin of 3,285.

In Indora assembly segment, former BJP legislator Manohar Dhiman secured 4,394 votes which resulted in the BJP’s defeat by the Congress by 2,250 votes.

The Congress experienced similar losses due to rebels in four seats – Sullah, Anni, Chopal and Pacchad.

The fight was primarily between the BJP and Independents in Sullah and Anni.

In Sullah, Congress rebel and former MLA Jagjiwan Paul secured 29,558 votes but lost to BJP’s Vipin Singh Parmar who won 36,670 votes. Congress’s official candidate, Jagdish Chand Sapehia, secured only 6,828 votes.

BJP’s Lokender Kumar defeated Congress rebel Paras Ram in Anni by 6,778 votes. Congress’s Bansi Lal polled just 13,699 votes and remained in the third position.

Another Congress rebel, Gangu Ram Musafir, polled 12,946 votes (21.46%) in Pachchad due to which the party’s official candidate, Dayal Payari, lost to BJP’s sitting legislator Reena Kashyap by a margin of 3,857 votes.

In Chopal, former two-term legislator Subhash Manglet secured 13,706 votes (22.03%), which led to the defeat of Congress Rajneesh Kimta by a margin of 5,033 votes. The BJP won the seat.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Gaurav Bisht heads Hindustan Times’ Himachal bureau. He covers politics in the hill state and other issues concerning the masses.

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