Shimla, November 4
With 105 Independents, including some prominent Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rebels, in the fray, all eyes are on them as they may hold the balance in the formation of the government, post-counting.

A large number of rebels, including sitting legislators and some prominent leaders of the two main political parties, are contesting as Independents after being denied the ticket.

The 36 candidates fielded by the BJP’s breakaway group, the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), a majority of them former BJP leaders, are also giving anxious moments to the ruling party.

The vote share of Independents was as high as 38.10 per cent in the 1967 elections, when 16 of them were elected. It came down considerably after the emergence of the Janata Party.

In 1972, seven of the 148 Independent candidates were elected, polling 28.27 per cent of the votes. This figure further declined to 21.10 per cent in 1977 when six of the 195 Independent candidates won.

This time, HLP leaders in the fray include former Himachal BJP president and three-time Lok Sabha and one-time Rajya Sabha member Maheshwar Singh (Kullu), former minister Shyama Sharma (Nahan), sitting BJP legislator Khushi Ram Balnatah (Kasumpti), former BJP legislators Dulo Ram (Palampur), Chet Ram (Kinnaur), Navin Dhiman (Pragpur-Jaswan) and Karam Dev Dharmani (Ghumarwin).

Sitting Congress legislator Yog Raj and former minister Ishwar Dass are contesting as Independents from Dehra and Anni constituencies, respectively.

For the BJP, rebels in Kangra district are the biggest cause of concern. They include Pawan Kajal (Kangra), Manohar Dhiman (Indora), Rajesh Sharma (Kangra), Ravi Dhiman (Jaisinghpur) and Lok Sabha member Rajan Sushant’s wife Sudha Sushant (Fatehpur).

The higher number of Independents in the fray in any election was in 1982 when 205 of them were in the electoral arena. Six of them won, getting 14.23 per cent of the votes.

In 1985, two of the 136 Independent candidates won. In 1990, just one of the 93 Independent candidates won. The vote share of Independents went up slightly to 9.67 per cent in 1993 when seven of the 155 Independent candidates won.

Independents fared the worst in the 1998 elections when the vote share went down to 4.18 per cent. Ramesh Dhawala was the sole Independent candidate to win.

In 2003, six Congress rebels won. The number of Independent candidates in the fray was 110. The vote share of Independents shot up to 12.50 per cent. In 2007, three Independent candidates of the 60 made it to the Assembly, polling 7.97 per cent of the votes.

Dharamsala, November 4
Heavy voter turnout in Kangra district, especially constituencies where rebel candidates are giving a major fight, has candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress guessing.

Nurpur, Jawali, Kangra and Indora constituencies, where rebel candidates are quiet strong, have witnessed heavy voter turnout. Rebels are giving a tough time to BJP candidates in Kangra district.

Despite the efforts of the party high command and the intimidation by BJP’s national vice-president Shanta Kumar, who has been demanding the ouster of rebels from the party and is handling the party campaign from Kangra, party rebels have not yielded and are giving a tough time to official party candidates.

In certain constituencies, BJP rebels are emerging as the main rivals to Congress candidates, illustrating the fact that the party has failed to adhere to the winning ability criterion.

In Kangra Assembly constituency, BJP rebel Pawan Kajal emerged strong in campaigning. Sources in the constituency said he posed a tough challenge to BJP candidate Sanjay Chaudhary and Congress candidate Surinder Kaku.

A government contractor by profession, Kajal had been working in the field for quite some time. He presented an impressive show of strength in party rallies before the elections. After being denied the party ticket, he decided to contest as an Independent.

During the last Assembly elections, Kangra Assembly constituency had sprung a surprise when Chaudhary, the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate, emerged victorious.

In Jawali Assembly constituency, BJP rebel Sanjay Guleria is giving a tough time to party candidate Arjun Singh. An industrialist in Baddi, Guleria belongs to the Nagrota Surian belt in Jawali constituency.

He also has the support of a former BJP legislator from the area, Harbans Rana. Guleria is considered strong in the Nagrota Surian belt. His presence in the fray is posing a serious threat to the BJP candidate.

Rakesh Pathania, the BJP rebel from Nurpur, is facing the wrath of BJP’s national vice-president Shanta Kumar for the second time despite being the best prospect for the party from Nurpur Assembly constituency.

During the last Assembly elections, Pathania was denied the party ticket, but he won as an Independent. After being denied the party ticket again, he is contesting as Independent.

He is posing a formidable challenge to Congress candidate Ajay Mahajan. Ranvir Nikka, the BJP candidate from Nurpur, is being considered as a weak candidate.

In Indora Assembly constituency, sitting legislator Des Raj has been expelled from the party. Following his expulsion, many office-bearers of the local BJP mandal have submitted their resignations. Des Raj was accused of supporting the BJP rebel from the constituency, Manohar Dhiman.

From Fatehpur Assembly constituency, Sudha Sushant, wife of sitting BJP Member of Parliament from Kangra, Rajan Sushant, is contesting as an Independent after being denied the party ticket. Sources in the constituency said she was giving a tough time to BJP candidate Baldev Thakur.

In Baijnath Assembly constituency, Trilok Kapoor, Chairman of the Wool Federation of Himachal, is keeping away from the party campaign as his candidate has not been given the party ticket.

Two strong Himachal Lokhit Party candidates from the district, Naveen Dhiman from Jaswan-Pragpur and Dulo Ram from Palampur, are former BJP leaders.

In Dharamsala, former BJP leader Kamla Patial is contesting as an Independent. The Congress, on the other hand, has just two major rebels in Kangra district.

Yog Raj, the sitting Congress legislator from Pragpur, is contesting as an Independent from Dehra Assembly constituency. He is seriously damaging the prospects of Congress candidate Brig (retd) Rajinder Rana.

The other major Congress rebel in the fray from the district is Rajesh Sharma from Kangra Assembly constituency. The way rebels have conducted their campaigns, they may spring a surprise in the elections.

Dharamsala, November 4
Kangra, the biggest and most populous district in the state, will hold the key to power in the next Assembly. The district had 16 Assembly constituencies.

After delimitation, there are 15 constituencies, which still account for more than 20 per cent of the 68 constituencies in the state. Going by election result history, the party that gets at least 10 seats in Kangra district is voted to power.

In 1993, when the Congress was voted to power in the state, it won 12 seats from Kangra district while the BJP won three and one went to an Independent candidate.

In 1998, when the BJP came to power in the state with the help of the Himachal Vikas Party, floated by former Union minister Sukh Ram of the Congress, the party won 12 seats in Kangra district while four went to the Congress.

In 2003, when the Congress was voted to power, it won 10 seats in Kangra district and the BJP won six. In 2007, when the BJP was voted to power, it won 10 seats in Kangra district and the Congress won six.

The trend also illustrates the fact that people of the district vote in a similar pattern each time and the anti-establishment factor weighs heavy in the district.

At present, both parties are weighing their options and are likely to concentrate on Kangra district to bag power in the state after the elections.

The present government tried to reduce the anti-establishment factor in the district by dividing the district into three. A proposal was mooted to carve out the districts of Dehra, Palampur and Nurpur. A section of BJP leaders were of the view that the move would help them win the maximum number of seats in Kangra district.

Within the BJP, the move to trifurcate the district was opposed by leaders owing allegiance to Shanta Kumar, veteran party leader from the district.

The Congress treaded cautiously on the issue by stating that it was not the right time to take this decision. It neither openly opposed the move, nor supported it.

The BJP is now relying on Shanta Kumar to help it win in Kangra district. Though the veteran BJP has sunk his differences with the PK Dhumal faction, keeping in view the interests of the party, he is yet to start full-fledged campaigning for the party in the district.

Sources here say there may still be a clash of interests between the Dhumal and Shanta Kumar factions over certain party ticket allotments in the district.

Some leaders are of the view that Dhumal should personally concentrate on the district to muster the maximum number of seats for the party from the district.

Congress leaders from the district, who were eyeing an important role in the state leadership of the party, withdrew to their respective constituencies after Virbhadra Singh was appointed as the state Congress president.

In the current scenario, both parties will have work out their strategies for Kangra district to grab power after the Assembly elections in the state.

Dharamsala, November 4
Kangra witnessed 75 per cent polling today. It is politically the most significant district of the state with 15 Assembly constituencies.

Nurpur witnessed the heaviest polling with the percentage reaching 77.07. Dharamsala was a close second, registering 76.94 per cent polling.

Polling in other Assembly constituencies of the district was registered at 74 pc in Kangra, 78.33 pc in Indora, 71.68 pc in Fatehpur, 77.66 pc in Jawali, 73.17 pc in Dehra, 72.4 pc in Jaswan, 76.85 pc in Jwalamukhi, 71.43 pc in Jaisinghpur, 71.77 pc in Sullah, 76.45 pc in Nagrota, 74.28 pc in Shahpur, 76.03 pc in Palampur and 63.68 pc at Baijnath.

The polling remained low in Baijnath. Sources said that the polling percentage is likely to improve as the data from far-flung polling booths was pouring in.

Polling in the district remained peaceful barring two incidents of violence at Palampur and Sulah. The incidents took place outside the polling booths.

Solan/Nahan, November 4
Solan district recorded a high of 78 per cent voting in its five constituencies, with Doon recording the highest polling percentage of 89. Nalagarh recorded 84 per cent polling, Kasauli 75.3 per cent, Arki 73.43 per cent and Solan the lowest percentage of 67.25.

It was 48 per cent, 58 per cent and 50 per cent in Arki, Nalagarh and Kasauli constituencies, respectively. By the evening, Solan improved its voting percentage to 67.25. It was as high as 75.3 per cent by 3 pm in Kasauli.

Till 3 pm, 74 per cent polling was recorded in Shillai, 70 per cent in Pacchad, 71.3 per cent in Paonta Sahib and 70.76 per cent in Renuka. In Nahan, 73 per cent polling was recorded by 4 pm.

Sirmaur district recorded 78 per cent polling at close. The final voting figures were 79 per cent for Nahan, 82.44 per cent for Shillai, 82.15 per cent for Paonta Sahib, 76.86 per cent for Renuka and 80.16 per cent for Pacchad.

Shobha Nehru (104), wife of former bureaucrat BK Nehru, the oldest voter in Solan district, cast her vote in ward 2 of Kasauli cantonment. She is registered as voter number 4.

Voters faced some inconvenience in two polling booths in Solan town, which affected voter turnout. In the polling booth on the powerhouse road, the narrow path deterred voters from exercising their franchise when a woman became unconscious after she tripped.

In the polling booth at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School (ward 6), the inconvenience of covering 70 steps deterred the elderly from exercising the right to vote.

At the Lehi polling booth in Doon constituency, a record of sorts was set with almost 100 per cent voting being recorded. This was one of the hypersensitive booths in the constituency.

Chanan Singh (110), the oldest male voter, cast his vote in Shillai. Aladi (109), the oldest woman voter, cast her vote in Nahan. Mehat polling booth in Renuka recorded the highest polling of 96.17 per cent.

Mandi, November 4
These state Assembly elections have turned out to be one of the cleanest elections in the state, but inventive candidates and parties chose private buildings for wall writings, hoardings, banners, posters and flags in public places and residential areas.

Back-channel wooing tactics like the distribution of free liquor, mobiles phones, pressure cookers and cash went unchecked under the cover of darkness. Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that the sale of liquor, including local brew, shot up several times in the region.

Flying squads (FSs) and static surveillance teams (SSTs) of the Election Commission (EC) recovered Rs 3.17 crore, of which only Rs 8.72 lakh was deposited with the district treasuries in the state while Rs 3.08 crore was released after completing codal formalities, stated daily reports submitted to the EC today.

The EC has no network to check the influence of liquor smuggling by mafias and local brew makers, which operate through a ragtag chain of agents.

The EC’s SSTs and FSs have no mechanism to check this as they act only on complaints by members of the general public or candidates.

Voters are happy that the EC has made these Assembly elections clean. They were not bombarded with a maze of banners and posters and agents pressurising them near polling stations this time.

“We have voted freely and thank the EC for making the elections free and fair, but many things still need to be done,” said Dabe Ram (78) of Kahanwal.

Candidates and parties still freely indulged in wall writings, posters and hoardings, defacing walls and houses on highways in residential areas and lanes and bylanes, attracting the attention of voters.

Candidates did not choose public property likes schools, community halls, hospitals and government buildings to avoid the EC’s action, but circumvented EC guidelines.

They instead chose key public areas, private buildings and lanes and bylanes in residential areas in each town for their banners and hoardings to catch voters’ attention.

Wall writings and hoarding were spotted in Mandi, Kullu, Bhuntar, Manali and Banjar, besides other small towns, which was in violation of the model code of conduct.

Mandi, November 4
With the Seraj constituency recording the highest 84.51 per cent polling, Mandi district recorded 76.95 per cent polling for its 10 Assembly seats for which elections were held today.

According to District Election Officer, Mandi, Devesh Kumar, Darang recorded 80 per cent, the second highest in the district. In Mandi Sadar 76.30 pc votes were polled. Sarkaghat 65 pc, the lowest in the district. Sundernagar recorded 77.32 pc, Jogindernagar 72.09 pc, Seraj 84.51 pc. Dharampur recorded 70 pc, Balh 78.30 pc, Nachen 78 pc and Karsog 76.23 per cent.

Rural voters showed more polling fervor than urban voters with Jarthu polling station recording 94.44 per cent polling in Sundernagar.

It being a Sunday, polling started on a low-key note in the foggy chilly weather in the morning in this temple town. Voters were coming and going silently casting their votes after checking out at agent booths inside polling stations.

But more polling fervour was witnessed among rural voters rather than among urban voters in the district. They turned up in large numbers.

The counting will be done on December 20.

Palampur, November 4
Assembly segments of Palampur, Jaisinghpur, Baijnath and Sulaha of Palampur saw more than 70 per cent voter turnout today. The voter turnout in rural areas crossed a heartening 85 per cent.

Reports reaching here said upper areas of Palampur like Kandi, Thala and Lohana saw more than 80 per cent voter turnout.

Voters started queueing up outside polling booths in rural areas since morning. Many reached the polling stations before 8 am.Women voters outnumbered men at several polling booths.

At Molichakk polling station of Palampur, 95-year-old Kakko Devi walked to the polling booth to cast her vote. At Aima polling station, 103-year-old Nathu Ram cast his vote. His son brought him to the polling booth.

At Khilroo polling station, a woman voter and a member of the India Against Corruption (IAC), filled form No. 49O as she did not find any candidate suitable. Some other voters also filled form 490 in Kangra district.

Hamirpur, November 4
Hamirpur and Una districts registered a large voter turnout today. The polling was peaceful as no untoward incident was reported from any where in the two districts.

Voters queued up outside the polling booths since early in the morning.

Hamirpur district registered 68.82 per cent polling and Una district saw a voter turnout of 65 per cent.

Sujanpur in Hamirpur district registered the highest voter turnout at 71.84 per cent, while Badsar was the lowest at 66 per cent.

In Una district, the highest polling was recorded at 74.54 per cent at Gagret and the lowest at 58.82 per cent at the Una constituency .

Polling percentage in Hamirpur district was: Hamirpur 68.84 pc, Bhoranj 65.6 pc, Badsar 66 pc, Naduan 71.21 pc and Sujanpur 71.84 pc.

In Una district the polling percentage was: Una 58.82 pc, Haroli 72.18 pc, Gagret 74.54 pc, Chintpurni 63.17 pc and Kutlehar 62.62 pc.