Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections 2017: Counting of votes on Monday - Key highlights

Himachal Pradesh witnessed a 75.28 percent turnout in Assembly elections.

Representational image (File pic)

Shimla: The fate of 337 candidates will be known on Monday as counting of votes is taken up in Himachal Pradesh where traditional rivals BJP and Congress have contested all 68 seats.

Adequate security arrangements have been made for counting which would start simultaneously in all 68 constituencies at 42 counting centres.

Corruption was the main focus of the BJP campaign with the party training its guns at Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, while the Congress hit out at the BJP over the issue of GST and demonetisation.

Following are some of the key points of the Assembly polls:

- 2,820 counting staff has been deployed for the exercise which includes counting supervisors, counting assistants and micro observers.

- There will be 781 counting tables at 42 counting centres where 2,820 officers would be deployed, including 940 supervisors, 940 counting assistants and as many micro- observers, Chief Electoral Officer Pushpendra Rajput, PTI reported.

- The official said that videography of the counting process will be done at all centres, which will under CCTV camera surveillance.

- The hill state witnessed a record 75.28 percent turnout. 

- The BSP contested 42 seats followed by the CPI(M) 14, the Swabhiman party and the Lok Gathbandhan Party six each and the CPI-3.

- Out of 67 sitting MLAs, 60 MLAS, nine cabinet ministers, HPCC president Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu, state BJP chief, Satpal Singh Satti, Deputy Speaker, Jagat Singh Negi and eight Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) contested the poll along with a dozen former ministers.

- There are 25 Congress, 28 BJP and four independent MLAs in the outgoing house while one seat was lying vacant after the death of former minister Karan Singh from Banjar.

- Sitting Rajya Sabha member Viplov Thakur (Congress), former Lok Sabha members, Chander Kumar (Congress and Dr Rajan Shushant (Independent) and former Rajya Sabha member Kripal Parmar(BJP) are also among key contestants.

- Himachal has a tradition of change in government after every election.

- The BJP ousted the Congress in 1990 and the Congress avenged defeat in 1993. The BJP formed the government with the help of Himachal Vikas Congress in 1998 and the Congress was back in power in 2003. The BJP made a comeback in 2007.

- The exit polls have projected a clear majority for the saffron party in the hill state, unseating the Congress.

(With PTI inputs)