SHIMLA: The Congress, which put up a spirited campaign under former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is all set to return to power in Himachal Pradesh. The state stuck to its habit of voting out an incumbent government.
The party was leading in 35 seats in the 68-member Assembly. BJP was leading in 23 seats. ‘Others’ led in four seats having won in one. The Congress had won 23 seats and BJP 41 in the 2007 polls.
BJP’s Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal appeared prepared for defeat. “Whatever people decide is good. It would be good if they support us, and good even if they don’t. I will welcome the decision of people,” he said when asked to react on the trends going against his party.
Dhumal himself won from the Hamirpur defeating his nearest Congress rival Narinder Thakur by a margin of over 9,500 votes. He had won from Bamsan in 2007 by about 30,000 votes but after delimitation his constituency was scrapped and he had to shift to adjoining constituency of Hamirpur.
His rival and Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh said that he had put in his “best efforts” in the polls and it was for Sonia Gandhi to decide the party’s Chief Minister.
“I had been given the brief to bring the party back to power and for that I had put in my best efforts. It is for our national leader Sonia Gandhi to decide who will become the Chief Minister,” Singh said.
-PTI
