Gujarat counting concludes: BJP wins 156 seats, Congress 17, AAP 5, Independent 3 and SP 1
Gujarat polls: BJP makes clean sweep in Kutch, wins all 6 seats; AAP dents Congress
In a break from the past, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday made a clean sweep in Kutch district bordering Pakistan by winning all the six Assembly constituencies in the region.
The Congress, which carried out a silent campaign in rural areas, failed to retain even the two seats it had won last time.
The debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to win seats, but caused enough damage to the Congress, even leading to its defeat in its stronghold Rapar.
Kutch district has six Assembly constituencies - Abdasa, Bhuj, Rapar - all bordering Pakistan - and Mandvi, Anjar and Gandhidham. The district has around 16 lakh voters.
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Pratibha, Sukhu, Agnihotri lead race for Congress CM in Himachal
With the Congress emerging victorious in Himachal Pradesh, state party president Pratibha Singh is considered a key frontrunner for the chief minister's post, closely followed by former party chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and outgoing CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri.
Deciding on the chief ministerial face who can bind the party going forward is the immediate challenge for the Congress.
The newly-elected MLAs would meet soon to decide on their leader.
Though Pratibha Singh did not contest the assembly election and is not an MLA, she had campaigned extensively across the state. Singh is presently the Mandi MP after she won in the bye-election from outgoing chief minister Jairam Thakur's home district.
She also carries the legacy of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who steered the Congress in the state for over four decades.
Singh, party sources claimed, has the support of a majority of MLAs who have owed their allegiance to Virbhadra Singh who remained the Congress' undisputed leader in the hill state for long.
Pratibha Singh's son Vikramaditya has been elected as an MLA from Shimla rural and is also among the hopefuls, even though many consider him too young for the top post.
The other CM aspirants are Sukhu, an MLA from Nadaun, and Agnihotri, who was elected from Haroli. Both are hopeful that the party high command would recognise their work as former PCC chief and as Congress Legislature Party leader.
Agnihotri claims that he put forth the party's position strongly in the state assembly as CLP leader in the state assembly and opposed its decisions and highlighted BJP's "misgovernance" during the last five years. Agnihotri is a Brahmin leader, while Sukhu hails from the dominant Thakur community in the state.
Former PCC chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore, who won from Theog in a multi-cornered contest, is also a CM hopeful and is claiming that he brought the faction-ridden party together in the last few years.
Rathore was replaced a few months ago with Pratibha Singh as the head of the Himachal unit.
Some other hopefuls like six-time MLA Asha Kumari and former PCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur lost the election this time.
Interestingly, several Congress leaders had contested the elections in the hope that they would be the party's chief ministerial face. This even helped them garner enough support in their respective constituencies.
During the election campaign, Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders had taken a swipe at the Congress over its chief minister-hopefuls.
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Anti-incumbency, OPS promise worked in favour of Congress in HP
Anti-incumbency against the ruling BJP government, the issue of price rise, coupled with the Congress' promises of restoring the old pension scheme and providing Rs 1500 to every woman perhaps drew voters to the grand old party in Himachal Pradesh.
The people of the hill state followed the tradition of changing the incumbent government by voting out the BJP from power as they rejected its much-hyped slogan of 'Raj nahin, riwaaj badlenge' (changing tradition, not the government).
The BJP launched an all-out and aggressive personalised campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, but voters went by local rather than national issues.
Himachal polls: Congress emerges victorious, wins 40 out of 68 seats, BJP gets 25, Independent 3: ECI
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Cong wrests power from BJP in Himachal Pradesh, wins 35 seats out of 68, leads in 5
The Congress on Thursday gained majority in Himachal Pradesh Assembly election, winning 35 of the 68 seats and leading in five.
According to the latest results made available by the Election Commission, the BJP had registered win on 18 seats and was leading in seven others.
Three Independents also emerged victorious. Aam Aadmi Party, which had contested on 67 seats, failed to open account.
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Cong's Himachal win to have ripple effect on states going to polls next year: Anand Sharma
Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma on Thursday said the Congress' victory in Himachal Pradesh will have resonance and a ripple effect on states where elections are scheduled for next year.
He said he was happy that the people of Himachal Pradesh demonstrated "wisdom and maturity" to give the Congress a decisive victory and a stable majority in the state.
Himachal's CM face to be picked by Congress high command, says party leader
The chief minister of Himachal Pradesh will be picked by the Congress high command, a party leader said here on Thursday.
The party was leading in 40 seats of 68 till noon in the hill state with most of its top leaders having won their seats.
Sudhir Sharma, who has also won his seat defeating BJP's Rakesh Choudhary by 3,285 votes in the Dharamsala constituency, said, "I am grateful to the people of Dharmsala. This election has been fought by the people of Dharamshala." "I will try my best to live up to the expectations on which they have elected me," he added.
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Himachal polls: Cong's Anirudh Singh retains Kasumpti seat
Congress leader Anirudh Singh has retained Himachal Pradesh's Kasumpti assembly seat, defeating his nearest BJP rival and state minister Suresh Bhardwaj by a margin of 8,655 votes.
A member of the erstwhile Koti royal family, Singh had raised the issue of restoration of the Old Pension Scheme during election campaign.
Gujarat final tally out: BJP 157, Congress 16, AAP 5, Others 4
Gujarat polls: Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani have won
BJP won 154 (crosses Congress 1985 record of 149 seats) and is leading in 3; Congress won 14 (record of lowest seats after 33 in 1990) and leading in two, AAP won four, leading in 1, Others 4 won. Results of six seats remain. Out of total 182 seats required for simple majority 92.
"Accept the mandate of the people. Thank them for giving us an opportunity to serve them," says Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur.
BJP won 131 (leading 26); Congress won 14 (leading 2); AAP won 4 (leading one); Others won 4 in Gujarat.
Congress wins 10, and leads on 29 while BJP wins 9 and leads on 17 as counting continues in Himchal Pradesh. The EC's official trends show that Congress has crossed the majority mark of 35.
Gujarat Election Results: BJP wins 32 seats, while Congress wins 2.
Independent candidate Ashish Sharma, a BJP rebel, wins from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.
Union Home minister Amit Shah thanks the people of Gujarat after BJP's massive victory.
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Congress to form government in Himachal Pradesh: Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has won from Seraj seat of Mandi district.
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Cong leaders Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Hooda, Rajiv Shukla heading to Himachal Pradesh with party inching towards majority in polls
Gandhidham Congress candidate attempts suicide
Gandhidham Congress candidate attempted suicide by hanging at the counting center alleging tempering with EVM as some of the machines were not sealed properly and signatures were missing in some EVMs.
Congress leads on 38 seats in Himachal Pradesh; BJP wins 1 and leads on 27 as counting continues.
ECI
Congress leads on 35 seats - the majority mark - in Himachal Pradesh; counting continues.
BJP leader Alpesh Thakor is leading from Gandhinagar South seat with a margin of 3,270 votes. He is up against AAP's Dolat Patel and Dr. Himanshu V Patel of Congress.
BJP rebel Dharmendrasinh Vaghela leading over party's nominee Ashvin Patel in Vaghodia assembly seat
BJP candidate Kantilal Amrutiya, who was seen helping people in viral videos from the Morbi bridge collapse in October, is headed for a big win in the constituency.
Celebrations at BJP party office, as the party is sweeps Gujarat elections
BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor trails in Gandhinagar (South).
Congress candidate Jignesh Mevani leads in Vadgam
BJP's Hardik Patel leads in Viramgam, according to latest trends by ECI
With good margins, BJP likely to retain 12 out of 16 seats in Ahmedabad city, while close contest in four seats held by the Congress.
CM Bhupendra Patel leading by 1 lakh votes.
BJP 153, Congress 16, AAP 7 leads in Gujarat
Himachal assembly results: Congress, BJP in neck-to-neck competition; both leading 32 seats, as per latest ECI trends.
ECI
'We are creating a new record', Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Gujarat Poll results.
BJP is in the lead in Morbi, where 130 people died in a bridge accident, according to poll results in Gujarat.
BJP's Kantilal Amrutiya is in the lead for the Gujarati assembly seat of Morbi, which is part of the Kachchh Lok Sabha constituency. Morbi was recently in the news, after a bridge accident which caused 130 deaths.
AAP leader Manish Sisodia tweeted to thank the people of Gujarat. "AAP is becoming a national party today with the votes of the people of Gujarat. For the first time the politics of education and health is making a mark in national politics. Congratulations to the whole country for this," Sisodia tweeted.
"We are confident of forming the government in Gujarat, given the kind of response we got during our campaign": Jagdish Thakor, State Congress chief tells NDTV.
"100% we will form the government in Himachal, there will be no horse trading; we will get 40-45 seats,I'll be the CM if the party high command wants it," Pratibha Singh, Congress MP on India Today.
135-145, we are definitely going to form the Govt. Do you have any doubts?: BJP candidate from Viramgam, Hardik Patel
The counting of votes for Himachal Pradesh Elections to begin at 8 am in Mandi.
Visuals outside counting centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
