1998-2003: Himachal Pradesh's first and only coalition govt

In the Assembly elections held in 1998, Congress and the BJP won an equal number of seats of 31 each

The 1998 Assembly elections held on February 28 to elect members of the 68 constituencies in Himachal Pradesh changed the political scenario in the state.

The Assembly elections held that year threw up a hung house with both Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning an equal number of seats — 31 each. The Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) won five seats. The BJP managed to form the government by allying with the HVC.

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This was the first time in the hilly state that a coalition government (through a post-poll alliance) came into power.

These elections not only marked the emergence of the HVC under the leadership of former union communication minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who was expelled from the Congress on corruption charges but also marked the first-ever coalition government in the hill state.