Political climate heats up in Raj as counting draws closer
1,875 candidates, their supporters and the electorate are waiting for the moment of reckoning with bated breath.
Counting of votes cast in the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will be held on Thursday amid tight security.
Counting for bypolls to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat and six Assembly constituencies in five states will also be taken up simultaneously tomorrow. These Assembly constituencies are Rampur and Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh, Padampur in Odisha, Sardarshahar in Rajasthan, Kurhani in Bihar and Bhanupratappur in Chhattisgarh.
The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth and peaceful counting. There will be 37 counting centres in Gujarat covering 182 Assembly seats.
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In Himachal Pradesh, counting will take place at 68 centres, where mobile phone, iPad, laptop, and other recording devices are barred.
While the contest in Gujarat had traditionally been between the BJP and the Congress, it was a three-cornered contest this time around with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joining the poll fray. Exit polls have predicted a victory for the saffron party in the state.
It is likely to be a neck-and-neck race between the BJP and the Congress in Himachal Pradesh if the exit polls are to be believed.
The outcome of the Assembly elections in the two states is being awaited anxiously as it could have ramifications for national politics in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
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