High-octane campaign comes to end in HP, polling on Nov 9

The high-octane campaign for Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections marked by acrimonious exchanges between the two contenders for power--the state's ruling Congress and main opposition BJP--ended today.
Though the BJP announced Prem Kumar Dhumal as its chief ministerial face just a week ago, the saffron party's campaign was virtually spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who lacerated the Congress over corruption, while Rahul Gandhi mounted a spirited counteroffensive, targeting the Centre over note ban and the GST.
BJP president and its master strategist Amit Shah, besides a host of Union ministers and top leaders from both sides criss-crossed the state.
The 73-year-old Dhumal, a two-term chief minister, is seeking to thwart the Congress's chief ministerial candidate Virbhadra Singh's record seventh shot at power.

Singh, 83, the tallest Congress leader in the state, is facing graft cases and is locked in a bitter feud with state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu whose ouster he sought but failed to ensure ahead of the elections.
The old Congress warhorse also has to contend with the possible anti-incumbency.

Internal squabble may cast a shadow on the Congress's chances of storming back to power despite the party reposing faith in Singh to bail it out at a time when it has been facing a string of electoral reverses.
The BJP organised 197 rallies while Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh alone addressed 200 meetings across the state for the Congress during the past two and a half months.

Prime Minister Modi addressed seven meetings, Amit Shah six, Rahul Gandhi three, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh three and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke at seven public meetings.
There are 337 candidates left in the field after the death of a candidate in Badsar constituency while a BJP rebel in Chamba retired in favour of the party candidate.
Significantly, Himachal Pradesh goes to polls a day after the first anniversary of the Centre's demonetisation decision. While the Congress and some other opposition parties are observing November 8 as 'black day', the BJP had declared it would celebrate it as 'anti-black money day'.

Modi and other BJP leaders repeatedly targeted Virbhadra Singh and his government for alleged corruption.
Addressing a rally on Sunday, Modi claimed that the hill state needed to be freed of 5 Mafias - 'Mining Mafia', 'Forest Mafia', 'Drug Mafia', 'Tender Mafia' and 'Transfer Mafia'.
A combative Rahul Gandhi, the Congress vice president, hit back a day later during his public meetings and accused Modi of speaking selectively on corruption while also asking where the jobs promised by the BJP had gone.
Gandhi also lambasted the government over the manner in which the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was rolled-out.

"We will completely change the GST after coming to power in 2019 to mitigate the sufferings of the people hit by it," he asserted while addressing poll rallies at Paonta Sahib, Chamba and Nagrota yesterday.
Apart from Modi's charm, the BJP also tried to cash in on the charisma of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. High-profile BJP leaders including Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and J P Nadda, who hails from the state, sought to swing the electorate in the saffron party's favour.
While the battle for the state may be tough, the going is likely to be easy for Virbhadra Singh from the Arki seat where he faces greenhorn Rattan Singh Pal of the BJP in a four- cornered contest.

Leader of opposition Dhumal is pitted against Rajinder Rana (Congress) in a five-cornered fight in Sujanpur.
Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh is making his electoral debut from Shimla (Rural) constituency where he is facing a stiff challenge from Pramod Sharma, a former protege of his father now contesting as the BJP nominee.
Another contest that would be keenly watched is for the Mandi seat where former Union minister Sukhram's son Anil Sharma is contesting as the BJP candidate. Anil Sharma quit the Congress in the run up to the elections.
State BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti is facing Satpal Singh Raizada of the Congress in a five-cornered contest in Una, while state Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu is pitted against sitting BJP MLA Vijay Agnihotri in a six-way fight in Nadaun.

About a dozen rebels of both the parties are also in the fray, trying to spoil the chances of official nominees.
The counting of votes would be taken upon December 18.
The Congress and BJP are contesting all 68 seats, CPI(M) has fielded 14 candidates while 187 candidates of small parties and independents are also in the fray.
As per the latest photo electoral rolls, there are 50,25,941 electors including 25,68,761 male, 24,57,166 female, 14 third gender electors.
As many as 7,521 polling booths have been set up which include 983 that have been declared vulnerable and 399 declared critical. A highest 297 vulnerable polling stations are in the Kangra district.

The Kaa polling station in Kinnaur has the lowest number of eight votes while the highest poll stations of Hikkim, situated at a height of 15,000 feet, has 134 voters.
Besides 40,000 police and security men, 65 companies of para military forces have reached the state for ensuring free and peaceful polling, Chief Electoral Officer, Pushpender Rajput said.
Sullah Assembly constituency in Kangra has the highest number of 96,145 electors while tribal Lahaul and Spiti constituency has lowest number of 23,231 electors.
There are 19 women candidates in the arena with six candidates fielded by BJP and three by Congress.

Independent India's first voter, 101-year-old Shyam Singh Negi, would be casting his vote in the fifteenth Assembly poll in a row at Kalpa polling booth in Kinnaur Tribal constituency.