Assembly Election Result 2022: BJP takes massive lead in Gujarat, Tough fight in Himachal, early trends show

Digital Desk: The results of the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which will be announced on Thursday, December 8, are the centre of everyone's attention. Both states' counts have started. Himachal Pradesh held a single-phase election on November 12 but Gujarat held two-phase elections on December 1 and December 5. About 64.65% of eligible voters cast votes in Gujarat in both stages. The voting turnout in Himachal Pradesh was over 74%.

While most exit polls in Gujarat and Himachal predicted a clear victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it will be interesting to see what the people of these states decide for the next five years because this election saw a three-cornered contest as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) entered the polling arena, the BJP bastion.

For the uninitiated, the Gujarat election has always been a contest between the BJP and Congress. In the 2017 elections in Gujarat, the BJP won 99 seats, the Congress 77, two seats went to the BTP, one to the NCP, and three seats went to independents. The BJP also succeeded in forming the government in Himachal in 2017 by winning 44 of the Assembly's 68 seats.

According to preliminary results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has surpassed the halfway point in Gujarat with a lead of over 100 seats.

Early indicators indicate a close race between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress in Himachal Pradesh as the votes are still being counted.

It is to be noted that the grand old party, Congress, has slightly gained ground in the hill state and now holds a lead in 28 seats out of a total of 68 seats.