M A I N   N E W S

HIMACHAL Votes 2012
Himachal poll scene hots up as EC issues notification
Rakesh Lohumi/TNS

Shimla, October 10
The election process for the 68-member Himachal Assembly got underway with Governor Urmila Singh issuing a notification under the Representation of the People Act here today.

As the filing of nominations has begun under the shadow of “pitripaksh” (shradh days), most of the contenders are likely to wait for the auspicious “navratri” days. As a result, the majority of nominations are likely to be filed on October 16 and 17, the last two days for filing of nominations. The scrutiny will take place on October 18. The final picture will emerge on October 20, the last date for withdrawal of nominations. The polling will be held in a single phase on November 4 and the counting of votes will be carried out on December 20 after polling in Gujarat.

Almost all seats are likely to witness multi-cornered contests. The role of the Him Lok Morcha (HLM), a regional alliance of the breakaway BJP group Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), the CPM and the CPI, which is fielding candidates for all 68 seats, will be crucial and watched with interest.

The BJP rebels led by Maheshwar Singh, who floated the HLP, have been trying to put in place a third force to challenge the Congress and the BJP. Parties like the NCP, the TMS and the BSP are also contesting significant number of seats to make their presence felt in the hill state. A large number of candidates, who have been denied ticket by the main parties, are likely to enter the fray as Independents.

The rebel phenomenon is more pronounced in the ruling BJP as compared to the Opposition Congress, though both parties have been plagued with intense infighting.

The efforts of the Election Commission to weed out bogus and duplicate voters seem to have yielded results as is evident from the fact that the total strength of electorate has come down to 45.9 lakh from 46.04 lakh in 2007. However, the total number of polling stations has been increased to 7,252 from 6,244 in 2007.