In Gujarat, the saffron party will be looking for its 7th straight victory
Himachal Pradesh has favoured the Congress and BJP alternately since 1993
In Himachal Pradesh too, it won 44 of 68 seats in assembly to win single majority
2017: BJP won 99 seats in 182-member Gujarat assembly
The Election Commission of India is likely to announce the poll schedule of the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls on Friday via hold a press conference in Delhi. A high level team of the ECI led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar recently visited Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat to review poll preparedness.
On Friday, If the Election Commission announces the election schedule in these two states, then the election code of conduct will come into force with immediate effect.
The team, led by Central Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, visited Himachal Pradesh from September 22 to 24 and Gujarat from September 26 to 27. During this visit, the Election Commission team met the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of both the states and took stock of the preparations.
By the way, there has been an election stir in both the states for the last few months. Many BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have visited Himachal and Gujarat.
Opposition parties Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have also jumped in the election fray. Gujarat has 182 assembly seats and is under BJP rule. Himachal is also ruled by BJP and there are 68 assembly seats here.
Gujarat Legislative Assembly election 2022:
Elections are not far away for 182 seats in Gujarat Assembly and 68 seats in Himachal Pradesh. It is believed that elections can be held in both the states in the month of December.
When was the last election held in Gujarat?
The last elections to the Gujarat Assembly were held in December 2017 in two phases. Voting was held on December 9 for the first phase and on December 14 for the second phase. The counting of votes took place on 18 December. BJP emerged as the single largest party in the election and after a few days of political turmoil, Vijay Rupani became the Chief Minister of the state on 26 December 2017.
The term of the Gujarat government is ending on February 23, 2023. In view of this, it is being estimated that like last time, this time also elections can be held in the month of December.
What is the issue in Gujarat this time?
Traditionally, Gujarat has been a contest between the two main parties, the BJP and the Congress, but this time the Aam Aadmi Party and Asaduddin Owaisi’s party are also entering the electoral battle, which may upset the mathematical equation of the two main parties. . However, many political observers believe that the main battle in Gujarat will be between the BJP and the Congress.
By the way, it is interesting that neither Gujarat nor Himachal Pradesh is included in this journey of Rahul Gandhi, who is traveling to India these days. It is also not yet decided whether he will campaign in these two states or not. On the other hand, Gujarat is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is considered ‘number two’ in the government and in such a situation his reputation will also be at stake in the Gujarat Assembly elections.
This election will also be a mandate for the half-year term of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The political future of Alpesh Thakor, who lost in the by-elections by leaving Congress and joining the BJP, and Hardik Patel’s future will also be decided in this election.
Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, an independent MLA from Vadgam, has already announced to join the Congress, so his role will also be tested. It has to be seen what effect they have on the reserved seats as well as what problems Owaisi and Kejriwal create for Mevani in Vadgam seat.
Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election 2022:
The polling for 68 members’ seats also may be held in December this year. In 2017, the BJP formed the government in the hilly state with Jai Ram Thakur becoming the chief minister.
ECI also held a review meeting in Himachal Pradesh last month with Deputy Commissioners and Superintendent of Police, IG, DIG, and CAPF and Nodal Officers of 12 districts.
The term of the Himachal House, meanwhile, ends on January 8, 2023. The BJP has 45 MLAs in the House, while Congress has 20.
What happened in the last election in Himachal Pradesh?
In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP won a majority for the last time. The BJP had got 44 seats in the state, while the Congress had to be satisfied with 21 seats.
The CAPM got two seats while other parties got two seats. Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Manish Garg recently informed the media that there are a total of 55,07,261 voters in the state, including 27,80,208 males and 27,27,016 females.