High-decibel campaign ends, HP goes to polls tomorrow

SHIMLA: The high-decibel campaign for the 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh that ended on Tuesday could be dubbed the election of choppers.

The hills resonated with sounds of choppers as bigwigs crisscrossed the state. The BJP had engaged nearly a dozen choppers for its star campaigners, while the fund-starved Congress could arrange only four.

The BJP is trying to ride the momentum that it has had in recent years and the anti-incumbency factor to beat the ruling Congress. The assembly elections have seen unusually belligerent campaigning as top leaders of both parties focused their attention on the hill state. On the last day of the campaign, allegations and counter allegations flew thick and fast, even as home minister Rajnath Singh addressed public meetings at Chamba and Hamirpur.

Minister of textiles Smriti Irani, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Rawat and chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal turned out for the BJP, while for the Congress, CM Virbhadra Singh and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh were lead campaigners on the last day.

“The use of money power in Himachal vitiated the atmosphere and has given birth to new culture but anyhow this kind of practice will have no benefit to BJP,” Virbhadra said. In a press conference in Shimla, Rajnath repeated a phrase by PM Narendra Modi that the Congress had conceded defeat in the state. Lonely fighter

The old war horse appears to be fighting an uphill battle. The Congress’ senior-most leader has been the prime target of BJP. Virbhadra entered politics in 1962. The longest-serving CM of the hill state, he is battling a slew of corruption charges Sujanpur (Hamirpur): Dhumal facing his former protégé Rajinder Rana (Congress) BJP'S man of the hour

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Rajender Rana. Elected as an LS member for the first time in 1989, he remained BJP’S undisputed face in Himachal for nearly two decades Nadaun (Hamirpur): Cong state president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu versus Vijay Agnihotri Mandi:

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He spent weeks placating rebels and campaigning for others. But even after losing out on the CM candidate race, he remains a key organisational man. He started out as a student leader in 1975 with JP movement and entered state politics by winning Bilaspur in ‘93 Dehra (Kangra): BJP senior leader Ravinder Ravi facing Congress Rajya Sabha MP Viplove Thakur Dalhousie (Chamba): AICC secretary in-charge of Punjab Asha Kumar versus BJP’S DS Thakur