Himachal Pradesh has done it again. The hill state known for electing a new government every five years since 1985 has overthrown the incumbent BJP and given a resounding mandate to Congress in the assembly elections whose results were declared on Thursday.
The grand old party made a strong comeback with a lead on as many as 39 out of the total 68 seats, far ahead of the 21 mark of 2017. It also proved to be a reason to cheer for the party workers who hailed general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s winning campaign in the hill state and credited her for the party’s success. The Gandhi scion had spearheaded the party campaign in the hill state right from ground zero, and addressed several rallies, public meetings, and door-to-door interactions. She had even promised to roll back the much controversial Agnipath scheme if the Congress gets elected to power in 2024.
What had started out as a neck-and-neck contest between the BJP and Congress in the early hours of counting eventually paved the way for a clear majority for the grand old party by noon. The party headquarters reverberated with the slogan, “Himachal se aayi awaaz, Priyanka Gandhi zindabad,” just as the early leads signalled a victory. The youth workers burst firecrackers and distributed sweets, celebrating the long-awaited win in the state polls.
Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera said the party was confident of clinching a majority in the polls. “The people of Himachal have chosen Congress to lead them. We were expecting a decisive mandate, and it has come true now,” said Khera while celebrating with jubilant party workers at the party office in Delhi. The senior leader said the new government will fulfil all the promises, and the guarantees it has made to the voters of the hill state. “We will hit the ground running in the first cabinet meeting itself,” he said. The Congress has promised to provide one lakh jobs within the first year of coming into power, and revive the old pension scheme (OPS).
The party had fought the elections without two of its stalwarts who passed away last year – former five-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh and cabinet minister GS Bali who held major sway in the Kangra belt. Their sons, Vikramaditya Singh and RS Bali, won from their respective constituencies. Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh has also won.
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