Record turnout in HP polls bodes well for Congress: Virbhadra

Attributing people`s ire against the Himachal Pradesh government to the record turnout in Assembly polls, state Congress chief Virbhadra Singh today said here that his party will "sweep" the polls.

Shimla: Attributing people`s ire against the Himachal Pradesh government to the record turnout in Assembly polls, state Congress chief Virbhadra Singh said here that his party will "sweep" the polls.

The former Union minister, who returned after casting vote in Rampur said, "I can say it with confidence on the basis of 50 years experience of electoral politics that heavy polling always helped the opposition, and I have also gauged mood of the people during the campaign." "The polling was 71.61 per cent in 2007 polls and ruling Congress was ousted, while earlier heaviest polling of 74.51 in 2003 saw BJP out of power and the trend would continue this time also," he added. Not attaching much importance to "third front" consisting of Himachal Lokhit Party of BJP dissidents and left parties, Singh said that "third front would remain third and may win two or three seats but Congress would get comfortable majority to form a stable government. When asked about the claim of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal that BJP would win 45 seats, Singh said "I do not go into numbers but writing is clear on the wall that the BJP is on its way out", adding that everything would be known on December 20 when counting takes place. Disagreeing with the BJP leaders that rising prices and capping of LPG cylinders were major issues that weighed heavily on the minds of the people, HPCC president said that the poll results would explode this myth. Local governance or lack of governance was responsible for people`s ire and "this may be one of the reason for heavy polling," he said. PTI