Himachal Pradesh Election Results: 5 key seats to watch out for

Polling: 82.43%

Jai Ram Thakur (Chief Minister, BJP)

Earlier known as Chachiot, the name of the Assembly seat was changed to Seraj following delimitation in 2007. The seat has been a BJP stronghold and Jai Ram Thakur has been winning it since 1998. In the 2017 elections, Jai Ram beat Congress’s Chet Ram Thakur by 11,254 votes.

For locals, roads are a major issue as several remote areas are yet to be connected to the main highways. Several routes across the Seraj Valley remain covered with stones and rocks, making vehicular movement difficult. Locals have alleged that despite being the CM’s seat, infrastructure has been ignored. Their key demands include construction of schools and further development of the region as a tourist hub.

Amid protests, the Congress has again fielded Chet Ram Thakur on the seat. The decision did not go down well with local leaders such as Vijay Pal Singh, who considered fighting independently to foil the chance of the Congress.

With a high voter turnout, the BJP believes the seat is going to remain safe for the CM.

Kasumpti

Polling: 68.3%

Suresh Bharadwaj (BJP)

BJP shifted its incumbent Urban Development Minister Suresh Bharadwaj to Kasumpti, after he had won the Shimla Urban seat four times in a row. The party claims the call was taken by the high command, following surveys and feedback. The decision came as a surprise to the leader and his loyal party workers, as Kasumpti will prove to be an uphill battle.

Bharadwaj faces Congress’s Anirudh Singh, who is looking for a hattrick of victories. Anirudh comes from a royal family and has won the previous two elections with handsome margins. A local, he also enjoys popular support.

Kasumpti is located in the vicinity of Shimla Urban, with a large population of apple farmers and government employees. Several people from the area participated in the apple farmers’ protests over the past few months, and have been voicing their demand for horticulture sector reforms. The OPS (Old Pension Scheme) is another relevant issue for the locals.

The low voter turnout has been attributed to urban apathy, and is being seen as an uphill task for Bharadwaj, who is also fighting the ‘outsider’ tag.

Theog

Polling: 74.96%

Kuldeep Rathore (Congress)

Congress has fielded former HPCC president Kuldeep Rathore from Theog, which comes under Shimla district. Following delimitation, areas such as Kumarsain and Kotgarh came under Theog, making it one of the most important apple growing regions of the state.

In the previous election, Vidya Stokes vacated the seat for Virbhadra Singh, but Congress gave the ticket to a youngster. Due to a split in votes, Rakesh Singha of the CPI(M) emerged as the winner. In these elections, Rakesh is relying on his groundwork and the apple farmers’ resentment to seal a repeat.

Having a close association with the Gandhis, this will be Rathore’s first election after having worked at the organisational level. The BJP has fielded Ajay Shyam, but Rathore’s biggest competition will be Congress dissidents fighting as Independents. There’s Indu Verma, who had recently joined the Congress in the hope of getting the ticket, but who filed her nomination as an independent when overlooked. Then there is Vijay Khachi, son of former Congress stalwart JBL Khachi, who has been suspended from the party for six years since the rebellion.

Theog is a curveball for the Congress with no clear indication of a winner. With a close contest expected between the Congress and the CPI(M), an Independent winner could play kingmaker during government formation.

Haroli

Polling: 78%

Mukesh Agnihotri (Congress)

The incumbent Leader of the Opposition and one of Congress’s CM faces, Mukesh Agnihotri will be up against BJP’s state spokesperson Ram Kumar from Haroli in Una district.

BJP is looking to establish a footing in the seat that Agnihotri has represented since 2003. Agnihotri, a journalist by profession, was mentored by ex-CM Virbhadra Singh, who pushed him to fight elections. An M.Phil in Political Science, Ram Kumar was given the ticket despite losing from there in 2017.

The incumbent BJP government’s marquee bulk drug park project will be coming up in Haroli. BJP has made it the cornerstone of their poll pitch, promising robust medical infrastructure and employment for locals. The Rs 2,000 crore project has received in-principle approval from the Centre and will be attracting investments worth Rs 50,000 crore, claims the BJP.

BJP’s development push is the aspiring CM candidate’s biggest challenge.

Shimla Rural

Polling: 62.5%

Vikramaditya Singh (Congress)

Son of six-time CM, the late Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya is looking to secure a victory for the second time in a row from Shimla Rural. The seat was formed following delimitation in 2007. In 2012, CM Virbhadra Singh himself won it with a margin of over 20,000 votes.

Maintaining its record of nominating a different candidate from the seat in every election, the BJP has fielded Ravi Mehta. With Virbhadra’s legacy to uphold, Vikramaditya has a strong Congress support base in the seat that was carved out of Shimla. Development issues — from housing and roads to job opportunities in the tourism industry — remain key here.

Vikramaditya has been positioned as a leader of the future by the party, and a consecutive win will further establish his standing.