EC announces bypolls to 6 Rajya Sabha seats in 4 states
The bypolls to six seats in the Upper House in four states were necessitated following the resignation of the members.
The fate of 337 candidates including Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Virbhadra Singh and former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal will be known tomorrow as counting of votes is taken up in the state.
Chief Electoral Officer, Pushpender Rajput said three-tier security arrangements have been made at all counting centres.
Rajout said wire mesh barricading has been done at counting centers and there was a separate entry passage for counting staff and counting agents.
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Around 2,820 counting staff has been deployed for tomorrow’s exercise which includes counting supervisors, counting assistants and micro observers.
Videography and CCTV coverage will be done in all counting centres.
Traditional rivals BJP and Congress have contested for all 68 seats in the Himachal Assembly. The hill state witnessed a record 75.28 per cent turnout.
According to various exit polls results by media agencies, BJP will get clear majority in Himachal.
Adequate security arrangements have been made for counting, which would start simultaneously in all 68 constituencies at 42 counting centres.
Corruption was the main focus of the BJP campaign with the party training its guns at Chief Minister Singh, while the Congress hit out at the BJP over the issue of GST and demonetisation.
The BSP contested 42 seats followed by the CPI(M) 14, the Swabhiman party and the Lok Gathbandhan Party six each and the CPI-3.
Himachal has a tradition of electing alternate governments between Congress and BJP.
Upbeat after exit poll results, BJP is confident of winning the polls with a comfortable majority, the Congress has rejected the exit-polls and claimed that it was all set to repeat to form the government in the hill state.
The BJP ousted the Congress in 1990 and the Congress avenged defeat in 1993. The BJP formed the government with the help of Himachal Vikas Congress in 1998 and the Congress was back in power in 2003. The BJP made a comeback in 2007.
(With agency inputs)
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