(MENAFN- NewsBytes)
#IndiaDecidesOn18th: BJP takes lead in 21 seats, Congress in 11
18 Dec 2017
Counting of votes began at 8am today for the Himachal Pradesh elections. Polling on November 9 saw a turnout of 74%, highest in four decades.
50.26L voters were registered to cast ballots.
According to trends at 9am, BJP is leading in 21 seats, Congress in 11 and Others in two. A party needs to get 35 seats to win power in the 68-member Assembly.
Five key battles to watch out for
Seats
CM Virbhadra Singh has changed his constituency to Akri, making way for his son Vikramaditya's debut from Shimla Rural.
In Jubbal-Kotkhai, anger over the gangrape-murder of a teenager may sway results.
In Nagrota Bagwan, BJP leader Arun Mehra is facing his once-upon-a-time friend and Transport Minister GS Bali (Congress).
In Sujanpur, former CM PK Dhumal (BJP) is fighting Congress' Rajinder Rana, his former protégé.
Exit polls predict a landslide victory for BJP
Exit polls
In Himachal, exit polls revealed a massive win for BJP with about 50 seats; the halfway mark in the 68-seat Himachal Assembly is 35.
It's not surprising considering the state has returned alternate governments since years.
According to Today's Chanakya, BJP is a clear winner vote-share wise too: 51% have voted for BJP, a paltry 38% for Congress and 11% for others.
2012 results at a glance
Fact
In Himachal, the BJP lost the 2012 elections to the Congress; the former got just 26 seats with 38.47% of vote-share, while the latter won 36 seats with 42.81% vote-share. Other parties won six seats. Virbhadra Singh took oath as CM for the sixth time.
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