The Barsar Assembly Constituency has Maya Ram of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal from the Indian National Congress (INC), and Gulshan Soni of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) making it a three-way contest for this year’s Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections. 

Himachal Pradesh has long been an anti-incumbent state, with the BJP and Congress alternately governing since 1985. This year, the Aam Aadmi Party hopes to change Himachal Pradesh’s political trend. 

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.

Also Read | Who will be Himachal’s next chief minister?

In 2017, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal of the Congress defeated Baldev Sharma of the BJP by 439 votes. Saroti Devi of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Vinod Thakur of Lok Gathbandhan Party (LGP) and an independent candidate, Sita Ram Bhardwaj also contested the 2017 election. 

Barsar is one of the 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Barsar falls under the Hamirpur district and Hamirpur Lok Sabha Constituency. Barsar has more than 86,000 eligible voters. 

In 2012, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal of the Congress defeated Baldev Sharma of the BJP by 2,658 votes. Satish Kumar of Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), Raj Kumar of Lok Jan Shakti Party (LSP), Parkash Chand of All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC), Om Prakash Jaswal of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and independent candidates Battan Singh and Piar Singh Bhogal also contested the HP Assembly Elections in 2012. 

Also Read | 5 issues Himachalis will be voting on this election

Himachal Pradesh votes in a single round on November 12. Results will be announced on December 8.

Quick facts about the Barsar Assembly seat  

Name of the assembly constituency, district: Barsar, Hamirpur district

Polling date: November 12, 2022

Sitting MLA, party: Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, INC

Key candidates, party in 2022: Gulshan Soni (AAP), Maya Ram (BJP), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (INC)

Winning candidate, party in 2017: Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, INC

Runner-up name, party 2017: Baldev Sharma, BJP

Winning margin in 2017: 439

Top 3 candidates 2017: Sita Ram Bhardwaj (Independent), Baldev Sharma (BJP), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (INC)

Top 3 candidates 2012: Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (INC), Satish Kumar (HLP), Baldev Sharma (BJP)

Lok Sabha constituency: Hamirpur