Elections 2022
From WhatsApp To Booth Managers, BJP Beats Rivals In Gujarat Campaign
Apart from the obvious 'Modi factor', it is the BJP's election machinery and strong booth management skills that have given the party a clear edge over Congress and AAP in campaigning
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Assembly elections have been called in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Himachal Pradesh will vote on November 12 while Gujarat will vote in two phases on December 1 and 5. Results for both the states will be announced on December 8.
The term of the Gujarat assembly ends on February 18 while that of Himachal Pradesh ends on January 8. The Gujarat assembly has 182 seats with 92 as the majority mark; in Himachal Pradesh, which has 68 assembly seats, 35 is the majority. In the 2017 election, the BJP won 44 seats and Congress 21 in Himachal while in Gujarat, Congress won 77 seats and the BJP retained power by winning 99 seats.
Himachal Pradesh: Back-to-back rallies and visits by top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have set the stage for the crucial elections in the state. The Congress last month suffered a major setback with its working president Harsh Mahajan joining the BJP. AAP, trying to gain a foothold in the state, has promised an unemployment allowance and six lakh government jobs.
Gujarat: The high voltage election in the BJP's stronghold (it has been ruling the state for nearly 25 years) comes against the backdrop of the recent bridge tragedy in Morbi that left 135 people dead. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), buoyed by its thumping win in Punjab earlier this year, is pushing hard to emerge as a key player in Gujarat's political landscape. And the Congress has said it is confident of a victory and has stressed that its door-to-door campaign has received good response.
