The Nurpur Assembly Constituency has Ranveer Singh Nikka of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ajay Mahajan from the Indian National Congress (INC)  and Manisha Kumari of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contesting for this year’s Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections

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For many years, elections in Himachal Pradesh have been a two-party contest between the BJP and the Congress. Since 1985, the state has been alternately ruled by Congress and the BJP. The BJP hopes to beat this trend, while Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP hopes to make a significant debut in the state’s political landscape. 

The BJP had won 44 of Himachal’s 68 assembly constituencies in 2017 and the Congress had won 21. A party needs to win at least 35 seats to form the government in the state.

In 2017, Rakesh Pathania of the BJP won the seat by defeating his closest rival Ajay Mahajan of the Congress with a margin of 6,642 votes.  Rakesh previously contested the elections in 2012 as an independent candidate. Harnam Singh also contested the elections on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket. Rakesh Pathania will contest the elections this year from Fatehpur constituency. 

Nurpur is one of the 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Nurpur falls under the Kangra district and Kangra Lok Sabha Constituency along with 16 Assembly segments, namely, Churah, Chamba, Dalhousie, Bhattiyat, Indora, Fatehpur, Jawali, Jwalamukhi, Jaisinghpur, Sullah, Nagrota, Kangra, Shahpur, Dharamshala, Palampur and Baijnath, Sihunta. Nurpur has more than 91,000 eligible voters.

 In 2012, Ajay Mahajan from INC defeated Rakesh Pathania, an independent candidate by 111 votes. Ranbir Singh Nikka of BJP, Sali Ram of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and independent candidate Col. Retd. N S Pathania from Himachal Swabhiman Party (HSP) 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 Nurpur Assembly seat  

Name of the assembly constituency, district: Nurpur, Kangra district

Polling date: November 12, 2022

Sitting MLA, party: Rakesh Pathania, BJP

Key candidates, party in 2022: Ranveer Singh (BJP), Ajay Mahajan (INC), Manisha Kumari (AAP)

Winning candidate, party in 2017: Rakesh Pathania, BJP

Runner-up name, party 2017: Ajay Mahajan, INC

Winning margin in 2017: 6,642

Top 3 candidates 2017:  Ajay Mahajan (INC), Harnam Singh (BSP), Rakesh Pathania (BJP)

Top 3 candidates 2012:  Ajay Mahajan (INC), Rakesh Pathania (BJP), Ranbir Singh Nikka (BJP)

Lok Sabha constituency: Kangra