(FE)
Himachal Pradesh (HP) Elections Results 2017 Live Updates: The fate of 337 candidates including Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his predecessor Prem Kumar Dhumal will be known today as the counting of votes startes in the state where traditional rivals BJP and Congress have contested all 68 seats. The hill state had recorded 75.28 per cent turnout and pollsters predicted a BJP victory. As per Election Commission, adequate security arrangements have been made for counting which would start simultaneously in all 68 constituencies at 42 counting centres.
The BJP campaign in the state had focussed on corruption with the party training its guns at Chief Minister Singh, while the Congress hit out at the BJP over the issue of GST and demonetisation. 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. The hill state has a tradition of change in government after every elections and going by the trend, this time it is the turn of the BJP.
