The BJP looks set to wrest power from the Congress in Himachal Pradesh as it has won three seats and leading in 40 seats, however, the party's Chief Minister candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal is staring at loss.
The BJP high command has called in Jairam Thakur to Delhi this evening. He's likely to take over as Himachal Pradesh CM since the party's CM candidate PK Dhumal and state chief Satpal Singh Satti have lost, say party sources.
Thakur was a cabinet minister in Bharatiya Janata Party ministry in Himachal Pradesh. He was minister of rural development and panchayati raj. He was elected to Himachal Pradesh Assembly from Mandi. He had won his first election in the year of 1998.
Dhumal, the original chief ministerial candidate, lost to Congress' Rajinder Rana, said he had expected to win the seat in Sujanpur. He won 18,559 votes as opposed to Rana who won 21,492.
“Personal loss is not of much importance. The gain that victory has brought to state BJP is important. Thankful to people of the state for voting for BJP. In politics, sometimes one wins, sometimes one loses. I was not expecting to lose, I will do an analysis,” Dhumal was quoted speaking to ANI.
Prem Kumar Dhumal, popularly known as PK Dhumal, was born into a strict Brahmin family on April 10, 1944, in Samirpur Village of Hamirpur district.
During his two stints as chief minister, the hill state saw significant infrastructure developments, particularly of roads. He also oversaw the development of new railway lines as well.
This gave rise to Dhumal being called as the 'sadak walla mukhyamantri'.
Congress candidate Anirudh Singh won the Kasumpti seat by defeating BJP's Vijay Jyoti by a margin of 9,397 votes.
In Lahaul and Spiti, Dr Ram Lal Markanda of BJP defeated Ravi Thakur of Congress by more than 1500 votes.
Congress veteran and six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya Singh are leading from Arki and Shimla (Rural) respectively.
Since the past 24 years, Himachal Pradesh has had alternative governments between the BJP and the Congress.
Main rivals BJP and Congress contested all the 68 seats at stake. The hill state witnessed a record 75.28% turnout.
The Congress and the BJP had 36 and 26 seats respectively in the outgoing House.
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 "Jairam Thakur (l) has been summoned to New Delhi after PK Dhumal lost")
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