The Sujanpur Assembly Constituency has Ranjit Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rajinder Singh Rana from the Indian National Congress (INC), and Anil Rana 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-incumbency state, with the BJP and Congress alternatively coming to power since 1985. The Aam Aadmi Party aims to alter Himachal Pradesh’s political system this year. 

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 | Himachal Pradesh elections 2022: Key issues

In 2017, Rajinder Singh Rana of the Congress defeated Prem Kumar Dhumal of the BJP by 1919 votes. Joginder Kumar Thakur of the Communist Party of India Marxist CPI (M), Ravinder Singh Dogra of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Parveen Thakur of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also contested the 2017 election. 

Sujanpur is one of the 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Sujanpur falls under the Hamirpur district and Hamirpur Lok Sabha Constituency. Sujanpur has more than 73,000 eligible voters. 

In 2012, Rajinder Singh, an independent candidate defeated Anita Verma of the Congress by 14,166 votes. Urmil Thakur of the BJP, Raj Kumar of Lok Jan Shakti Party (LSP), Naveen Singh of Samajwadi Party (SP), Parveen Kumar of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and an independent candidate, Parveen Kumar Gupta, also contested the HP Assembly Elections in 2012. 

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

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 Sujanpur Assembly seat  

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

Polling date: November 12, 2022

Sitting MLA, party: Rajinder Singh Rana, INC

Key candidates, party in 2022: Ranjit Singh (BJP), Rajinder Singh Rana (INC), Anil Rana (AAP)

Winning candidate, party in 2017:  Rajinder Singh Rana, INC

Runner-up name, party 2017: Prem Kumar Dhumal, BJP

Winning margin in 2017: 1919

Top 3 candidates 2017: Rajinder Singh Rana (INC), Prem Kumar Dhumal (BJP), Joginder Kumar Thakur (CPIM) 

Top 3 candidates 2012: Rajinder Singh (Independent), Anita Verma (INC), Urmil Thakur (BJP)

Lok Sabha constituency: Hamirpur