HIMACHAL PRADESH
The 2022 Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly elections to elect 68 members were held on 12th November. The votes were then counted on 8th December and it was revealed that the Indian National Congress had won 40 (of 68) seats. INC won the elections by a margin of less than 1%. BJP — a major contender — received 43.00% votes, whereas INC received 43.90% votes.
Significance of congress’s win
As INC returns to power in Himachal Pradesh after a few dull years, it is a memorable victory for the party. Moreover, this win also continues the legacy of the state of not returning incumbent governments to power.
Selection of Chief Minister
A resolution authorising the party president for the selection of the chief minister is likely to be passed in a meeting convened for the elected MLAs in Shimla. The frontrunners for the selection are state party president Pratibha Singh, the former party chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and the outgoing CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri. The winning candidate will become the face of the party in Himachal Pradesh.
GUJARAT
The Gujarat legislative assembly elections were held from 1 to 5 December 2022. Similar to the Himachal Pradesh elections, the results were declared on 8th December. There were a total of 182 seats out of which Bharatiya Janata Party secured a grand total of 156 seats, making it the winning party in Gujarat. On the contrary, INC suffered a setback as it received an all time low of 17 seats — its lowest in 3 decades.
Significance of BJP’S win
BJP registered a historic win in the 2022 elections due to which it will continue its 7th term in the office. According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, support for BJP shows that anger towards dynasty rule is rising. The party also believes that it has done more for women than any other party has and it will continue to do so in its coming term.
Chief minister
Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat’s current chief minister, will be entrusted with the task of continuing his ministerial tenure for the second year. Patel had gradually risen in rank from municipal politics to chief minister after the resignation of Vijay Rupani in 2021.
