Himachal Assembly byelections: Congress ahead in 3 seats, BJP 2, Independent 1
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Neck-on-neck fight is being witnessed in the byelections to the six Assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, with the ruling Congress leading in three seats, opposition BJP in two and an Independent candidate in one.
Depicting no clear wave for any party, political scenarios have been changing with each round of counting of votes. The BJP had fielded six Congress turncoats, whose disqualification from the Assembly had necessitated the bypoll.
In Dharamshala, BJP’s Sudhir Sharma has been maintaining the lead over Congress’ Devinder Jaggi since the first round. In Sujanpur, Captain Ranjit Singh Rana of the Congress has emerged the frontrunner, outpacing BJP’s Rajinder Rana.
The electoral battle in Kutlehar witnesses a tight race, with Congress candidate Vivek Sharma holding a marginal lead over BJP’s Davinder Kumar Bhutto.
In Gagret, Rakesh Kalia of the Congress has surged ahead of BJP’s Chaitanya Sharma, underscoring the people’s anger against the latter who had won as an MLA for the first time in 2022. In Barsar, BJP’s Inder Dutt Lakhanpal has been leading over Subhash Chand of the Congress, signalling a significant win for the opposition party in this particular region.
A notable development in the byelections is the emergence of former BJP Minister Ram Lal Markanda, who is contesting as an Independent candidate in Lahaul-Spiti. Markanda has been maintaining a lead over his nearest Congress rival Anuradha Rana.
As the vote counting continues and the margins remain narrow in several constituencies, the final results of the byelections are awaited with bated breath, as they hold the potential to impact the political landscape of Himachal Pradesh significantly.
