Himachal
Pradesh is voting for its next state legislature on Saturday, November 12. The
state has 68 Assembly constituencies with over 55 lakh eligible voters. The
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in power in Himachal since 2017, has an edge in
the contest. However, Himachal Pradesh has a tradition of voting out incumbent
governments every five years. Therefore, a win for the Jai Ram Thakur-led party
will be historic.

The
Congress, the principal Opposition party in Himachal, the party of former chief
minister Virbhadra Singh, is basing its hopes on Himachal’s proclivity to vote
out incumbents.

Here are 5
things you need to know about Himachal Pradesh elections 2022:

1.       Test for JP Nadda: While Narendra Modi features in
every conversation in every election across India since 2014 and Himachal is
Jai Ram Thakur’s state to win, the polls are also a test BJP national president
JP Nadda. Nadda, who has been a former member of the Himachal Pradesh
legislative assembly, is going to lead the BJP to the 2024 polls. Therefore,
his performance in Himachal will be indicative of how the party is doing ahead
of 2024.

2.       Congress relies on local issues: While BJP has talked up Narendra
Modi’s governance as the central poll plank, Congress has sought the veer the
Himachal election narrative towards local issues. The Congress in Himachal
faced a major leadership crisis after the death of Virbhadra Singh. Virbhadra’s
wife Pratibha Singh is the state union chief. His son, Vikramaditya Singh is
among candidates.

3.       Rebel trouble for BJP: For the saffron party, the biggest
challenge is to keep their rebels in check. As Nadda framed ticket
distribution, many local leaders were upset. The party faces rebels in 21
assembly constituencies. There is some rebel trouble for Congress too in seven
constituencies.

4.       Yogi-Priyanka lead poll campaign: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath has been the star campaigners for the BJP. The monk from Gorakhnath
Math has run several rallies in Himachal Pradesh. For Congress, Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra has played a key role. Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress’ new president, has campaigned
too. Rahul Gandhi, however, has not ventured into Himachal as he is on his
Bharat Jodo Yatra.

5.       Congress seeks Gujarat boost: The grand-old-party has had a
difficult time. In the last two years, Congress has lost or failed to make an
impact on nine assembly elections. The party is in need of a morale boost to
fire up cadres for Gujarat.