Exit polls predict photo finish in Himachal Pradesh elections

The BJP state president said that the party is poised to win as many as 40 seats in the 68-member Assembly

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress prepare for a nervous counting day in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday after exit polls predict a photo finish.

The BJP’s top leadership asked Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to keep channels open with party rebels who contested the November 12 election. As many as 21 BJP MLAs were denied tickets and the rebels are expected to cause trouble for the party in a post-poll situation.

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The party’s state President Suresh Kashyap, who was part of the office-bearers meeting held at Delhi, said that of the 76.61 per cent polling that was recorded in the recently concluded in the hill state, the most votes were cast by women voters. Detailing preparations of the party in the meeting, Kashyap said that the party is poised to win as many as 40 seats in the 68-member Assembly.

On the other hand, within the Congress the rebel problem was meant to cause least headache, with there being as many as 10 rebels of the party contesting the polls, there is now a bigger headache in front of them — the spectre of poaching.

Sources said that senior party leaders, including General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, were keeping a tight eye on the situation, in a bid to stop the party’s MLAs from being poached.

Exit polls have predicted a close fight in the hill state, which traditionally alternates between parties. While India Today-My Axis predicted the Congress’s win with 30-40 seats as opposed to BJP’s 28-33, News24-Today’s Chanakya predicted a hung assembly giving both Congress and BJP 33 (+/-7) seats. To win the state, either party has to win as much as 35 seats.