The Jogindernagar Assembly Constituency has Prakash Rana of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Surender Paul Thakur from the Indian National Congress (INC), Kushal Bhardwaj of the Communist Party of India Marxist CPI (M), Ravinder Paul Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a four-way contest for this year’s Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections. Prakash Rana is the sitting MLA from the Jogindernagar constituency who previously contested the elections in 2017 as an independent candidate.
Himachal Pradesh has primarily been a two-party contest between the BJP and Congress. The state has been cyclically governed by Congress and the BJP since 1985. The BJP is hoping to break the cycle, while Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is attempting to make a significant impact on the state’s political landscape.
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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, Prakash Rana, an independent candidate won the seat by defeating his closest rival Gulab Singh Thakur of the BJP with a margin of 6,635 votes. Jiwan Lal Thakur of the Congress, Kushal Bhardwaj of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM) and Het Singh Verma of Bahujan Samaj Party also contested the 2017 election.
Jogindernagar is one of the 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Jogindernagar falls under the Mandi district and Mandi Lok Sabha Constituency. Jogindernagar has more than 98,000 eligible voters.
In 2012, Gulab Singh Thakur of the BJP defeated Thakur Surender Pal of the Congress by 5,916 votes. Kushal Bhardwaj of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM), Jagdish Bisht of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Surender Singh Thakur of Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJSP), Het Singh of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rakesh Palsra of All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) also contested the HP Assembly Elections in 2012.
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 Jogindernagar Assembly seat
Name of the assembly constituency, district: Jogindernagar, Mandi district
Polling date: November 12, 2022
Sitting MLA, party: Prakash Rana, (won 2017 elections as an Independent candidate, and joined BJP in 2022)
Key candidates, party in 2022: Prakash Rana (BJP), Surender Paul Thakur (INC), Kushal Bhardwaj CPI (M), Ravinder Paul Singh (AAP)
Winning candidate, party in 2017: Prakash Rana, Independent
Runner-up name, party 2017: Gulab Singh Thakur (BJP)
Winning margin in 2017: 6,635
Top 3 candidates 2017: Prakash Rana (Independent), Gulab Singh Thakur (BJP), Jiwan Lal Thakur (INC)
Top 3 candidates 2012: Gulab Singh Thakur (BJP), Thakur Surender Pal (INC), Ajay Dharwal (Independent)
Lok Sabha constituency: Mandi
