SHIMLA: Congress has stormed back to power in Himachal Pradesh winning 40 seats as the BJP double engine failed to work in the poll arena, The Voters rooted for keeping the old tradition alive and dismissed BJP poll plank of "Riyaaz Badlega'.  BJP candidates won  25 seats while there are three independents who made it to the state assembly this time.  

Sukhvinder Sukkhu and PCC President Pratibha Singh have emerged as  the strong contender for the CM post. Name of Mukesh Agnihotri is also doing rounds.  

While Congress made big gains in Kangra and Shimla winning 10 seats of 15 and seven seats out of eight seats respectively, BJP won  nine seats in Mandi out 10. 

Apple farmers' stir in Shimla district also played its role along with other issues of anti- incumbency and pension. The  choice of candidates also  played its role as well.  

BJP rode high on Modi magic in Mandi where he had addressed three rallies in Mandi and one in Sunderngar in 2022.   Voters in Mandi supported Jai Ram Thakur as CM candidate for the second time where the employees and SC did  not budge under pressure to vote against the BJP. 

Congress candidate ChanderShekhar defeated Rajat Thakur , son of Mahender Thakur, who wanted to launch him from Dharampur.  

The three BJP  rebels- KL Thakur (Nalagarh) and Hoshiar Singh (Dehra) and Ashish Sharma, Hamirpur  have become the target of the "made- in-behind the scene government" of the BJP.

But the independents have already given consent that they would support Congress, which is forming the next government.

BJP seemed to have given up for the time being, waiting for Congress to take its call on CM.  

As BJP might poach some disgruntled  "Congress CM hopeful" in case Congress faces "CM candidate crisis".  But the parties are under Supreme court lens this time for any "under the table  power deals" as it would need at least 13 MLAs to engineer a legal defection under the Anti-Defection Law. 

But then MLAs are also under public gaze as they fear public backlash in case they joined other party for the sake of power.

But then everything is fair in lover and war and power as the politicians and parties have been brushing principles under the carpet for the sake of power.     

In the meanwhile, there are reports that the Congress high command is taking a call on CM candidate as all MLAs have nodded that they would go by  decision of High command.         

Biggest surprise is in Theog where Kuldeep Singh Rathaur who won the seat for the first time by a margin of over 4100 votes trouncing Congress rebel Indu Verma and BJP Ajay Shyam and CPIM Rakesh Singha. 

Congress Asha Kumari in Dalhousie and Kaul Singh Thakur in Darang were  among big wigs of CM hopefuls who lost. 

BJP ministers- Rakesh Pathania (Fatehpur), Sarveen Chaudhary(Shahour), Ram Lal Markande (Lahaul-Spiti, Gobind Singh Thakur(Manali), Virender Kanwar, Suresh Bhardwaj figured among losers.   

Some key BJP  JR Katwal, Trilok Janmwal Randhir Sharma  and Congress candidates- Harshwardan Chauhan have managed to win  by a  narrow margin.