• BJP Releases First List Of Candidates For Himachal Pradesh Election

    Politics
    BJP Releases First List Of Candidates For Himachal Pradesh Election

    The list, which includes five female candidates, was finalized during the party's Central Election Committee...


    Digital Desk: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the names of the 62 candidates for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections 2022 on Wednesday (October 19).


    Voting for the 68 assembly seats in the hill state is scheduled for November 12 (Saturday), and the counting of votes will take place on December 8 (Thursday).


    The deadline for submitting nominations is October 25 (Wednesday).


    According to the list that was made public, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur will contest from Seraj and Satpal Singh Satti will contest from the Una seat.


    Anil Sharma, son of former Union minister Sukh Ram, has been fielded from Mandi seat.


    The list, which includes five female candidates, was finalized during the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Monday, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders.


    Some incumbent MLAs have been dropped.


    BJP has given tickets to 11 candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, while only eight candidates were selected from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. 


    Only three seats are reserved for the Scheduled Tribe category.


    Furthermore, almost two-thirds of the individuals on the list are graduates or post-graduates.


    Prem Kumar Dhumal, the former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, would not run in the elections this time because he was defeated in 2017.


    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gained 44 seats in the 2017 election, while the Congress got 21.


    Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg announced on Tuesday (October 18) that Absentee Voters in Essential Services (AVES) could vote by postal ballot by submitting Form 12-D to the Returning Officer (RO).


    He went on to say that this group of essential services officials comprises doctors, paramedics, ambulance service of the health department, drivers and conductors of HRTC, except local route bus services, fire services, milk supply service of the HP State Milk Federation and Milk Cooperative Societies, local media personnel approved by ECI, pump operator and turner in the Jal Shakti Department, and electrician and lineman in HPSEB.


    He stated that the concerned nodal offices of the respective departments will issue certificates to these AVEs.


    According to the CEO, such applications for postal ballot facilities must be received by the Returning Officer (RO) by October 21, 2022. This facility is being extended for the first time in Himachal Pradesh.