BJP Secures 57% Votes, Leaves Congress Far Behind
Shimla — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged victorious in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh, leading in 61 out of the 68 assembly constituencies. The Indian National Congress (INC) faced a significant defeat, with the Chief Minister and ten of his cabinet ministers failing to secure leads for their party candidates in their respective constituencies.
The BJP’s dominance was evident as it secured 57% of the total votes polled, translating to 22,90,819 votes out of a total of 40,48,000. In contrast, Congress managed to garner only 42% of the votes, with a total of 16,91,000 votes. This resulted in a substantial 15% vote lead for the BJP over the Congress, a stark increase from the narrow 0.9% lead the Congress held in the 2022 assembly elections.
Constituency Breakdown
Kangra:
BJP candidate Dr. Rajeev Bhardwaj defeated his nearest Congress rival, Anand Sharma, by a margin of 251,895 votes. Dr. Bhardwaj received 632,793 votes, while Sharma garnered 380,898 votes. Additionally, 6,372 voters opted for NOTA.
Hamirpur:
Anurag Thakur of the BJP won by a margin of 182,357 votes against INC’s Satpal Raizada. Thakur secured 607,068 votes, compared to Raizada’s 424,711 votes, with 5,178 voters choosing NOTA.
Mandi:
Kangna Ranaut, representing the BJP, defeated Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh by 74,755 votes. Ranaut garnered 537,022 votes, while Singh received 462,267 votes. A total of 5,645 voters selected NOTA.
Shimla:
Suresh Kashyap of the BJP defeated his nearest rival, Vinod Sultanpuri from the INC, by a margin of 91,451 votes. Kashyap received 519,748 votes compared to Sultanpuri’s 428,297 votes, with 5,930 voters opting for NOTA.
Lack of Leads from Key Congress Figures
Despite the efforts of the Chief Minister and his cabinet, the Congress failed to make significant inroads. Among the cabinet ministers, only Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi from Kinnaur and Education Minister Rohit Thakur managed to secure leads for Congress candidates. Education Minister Rohit Thakur managed to get a lead of 6,477 votes for Congress in Jubbal Kotkhai, and CPS Mohanlal Brakta secured a lead of 9,045 votes for Congress in Rohru. Additionally, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri managed to get a lead of 1,535 votes for Congress in Haroli.
In the Mandi parliamentary constituency, Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh led in only four constituencies: Rampur, Kinnaur, Anni, and Lahaul-Spiti. BJP candidate Kangna Ranaut led in the remaining thirteen constituencies, winning the election by a margin of 74,755 votes. Ranaut also led in postal ballots by 1,052 votes.
BJP’s Stronghold in Key Constituencies
BJP demonstrated strong leads in several key constituencies:
- In Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu’s constituency, Naidun, BJP secured a lead of 2,143 votes.
- In Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Pathania’s Bhatiyat, BJP secured a lead of 13,166 votes.
- In Health Minister Colonel Dhaniram Shandil’s Solan constituency, BJP had a lead of 5,116 votes.
- In Industry Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan’s Shillai, BJP led by 2,317 votes.
- In Vikramaditya Singh’s Shimla Rural, BJP led by 6,448 votes.
- In Minister Aniruddh Singh’s Kusumpti, BJP had a lead of 8,833 votes.
- In Minister Yadavindra Goma’s Jaisinghpur, BJP led by 4,485 votes.
- In Minister Rajesh Dharmani’s Ghumarwin, BJP had a lead of 13,573 votes.
- In Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar’s Sri Renukaji, BJP led by 4,485 votes.
- In former BJP Chief Minister Jairam Thakur’s Seraj, BJP had a lead of 14,698 votes.
- In BJP State President Rajiv Bindal’s Nahan Vidhan Sabha constituency, BJP led by 7,939 votes.
These results underscore the BJP’s strengthened political foothold in Himachal Pradesh, leaving the Congress to reassess its strategy and leadership in the state.
