Congress Edges Over Incumbent BJP In Himachal

Dharamshala: Everyone is on the edge of their seats as the ruling BJP and Congress battle it out for control of the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. The grand old party appeared to be having an advantage over the BJP as the counting of votes reached its fag end. According to figures from the Election Commission, the Congress was ahead in 39 constituencies, four more than the necessary majority.

Initial trends indicated a tight race between Congress and the BJP, with neither reaching the majority point. By noon, however, the scene was clear because the Congress was ahead in 39 constituencies.

Rakesh Kumar, a BJP candidate, won from Sundernagar, making him the first candidate from that party to register a victory in the state. He defeated Sohan Lal, a candidate for Congress, by a margin of more than 8,000 votes.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had candidates running for 67 seats in the state is yet to open its account.

Voting for the 68 members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly took place on November 12.