The Balh Assembly Constituency has Indra Singh Gandhi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Prakash Chaudhury from the Indian National Congress (INC), Tara Chand Bhatia of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) making it a three-way contest for this year’s Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections.
Himachal Pradesh has traditionally been an anti-incumbent state, with the BJP and the Congress alternatively coming to power since 1985. The Aam Aadmi Party aims to alter Himachal Pradesh’s political system this year. The party led by Arvind Kejriwal has promised to create 6 lakh government jobs and to provide unemployed people with a Rs 3,000 unemployment allowance. It has also promised to resume the previous pension schemes.
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The BJP had won 44 of Himachal’s 68 assembly constituencies last time and the Congress had won 21. The CPI (M) had won one seat. A party needs to win 35 seats for a majority to form the government in the state.
In 2017, Inder Singh of BJP won the seat by defeating his closest rival Prakash Chaudhury of the INC with a margin of 12,811 votes. Prem Kumar Hawal of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rajender Paul Kashav of All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) also contested the 2017 election.
Balh is one of the 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Balh falls under the Mandi district and Mandi Lok Sabha Constituency. Balh has more than 79,000 eligible voters. This constituency is reserved for Schedule Caste candidates.
In 2012, Prakash Chaudhary of the Congress defeated Inder Singh of the BJP by 3,116 votes. Netar Singh of Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), Padam Singh of Himachal Swabhiman Party (HiSP), Paras Ram of Communist Party of India Marxist CPI (M), Parshotam Ram of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Shakuntala Devi of All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) and independent candidates Mahant Ram and Sanjay Kumar Surehali also contested the HP Assembly Elections in 2012.
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Himachal Pradesh votes in a single round on November 12. Results will be announced on December 8. Elections to the Gujarat assembly are also expected to be held in December this year.
Quick facts about the Balh Assembly seat
Name of the assembly constituency, district: Balh, Mandi district
Polling date: November 12, 2022
Sitting MLA, party: Inder Singh, BJP
Key candidates, party in 2022: Indra Singh Gandhi (BJP), Prakash Chaudhury (INC), Tara Chand Bhatia (AAP)
Winning candidate, party in 2017: Inder Singh, BJP
Runner-up name, party 2017: Prakash Chaudhary, INC
Winning margin in 2017: 12,811
Top 3 candidates 2017: Prem Kumar Hawal (BSP), Prakash Chaudhary (INC), Inder Singh (BJP)
Top 3 candidates 2012: Prakash Chaudhary (INC), Inder Singh (BJP), Mahant Ram (Independent)
Lok Sabha constituency: Mandi
