Himachal Elections Results 2022: CM Jairam Thakur concedes defeat amid celebrations at Congress office

Chief Minister and BJP leader Jiaram Thakur conceded defeat in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022 as the Congress maintains a comfortable lead in the polls. In a press conference on Thursday, Thakur said, "I respect the mandate of the people", adding that he will soon tender his resignation to the government.

"A new government will be formed... I would like to congratulate them and hope they will fulfil all the promises made by them to the people," Thakur said.

While it has been a tight contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, the latter maintains a comfortable lead over the saffron party. As of 2:30 pm, both parties have won nine seats each, as per the data released by the Election Commission of India. However, while the BJP is leading on 17 seats, the Congress is ahead on 30 seats, giving an edge to the age-old party.

Amid the claims about the poaching of MLAs, Congress workers broke into a victory dance even as the counting was underway. Firecrackers were burst at Congress offices as the party maintained the lead on more than 30 seats. Party workers also distributed sweets as trends started coming in.

The Congress has so far won Chintpurni, Kasumpti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Nagrota, Sarkaghat, Shillai and Shimla. It is likely to overthrow the incumbent BJP.

Himachal Pradesh has been a swing state - meaning, the government in the state has been rotating in every election year. No incumbent government has ever returned to power in the state, except in 1985, Election Commission data analysed by News18 showed.

Between the 1993 elections and the 2012 polls, the chief minister's post rotated between Congress leader Virbhadra Singh and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal. Singh, who passed away in July 2021, was the state's longest-serving chief minister and ruled for more than 21 years — 1983-1990; 1993-1998; 2003-2007; and 2012-2017.

In 2007, the BJP had won by securing 41 seats, while the Congress had secured only 23. In 2012, the Congress had won 36 seats, while the BJP had won only 26. In 2017, the BJP emerged victorious with 44 seats, and Congress lost after winning 21 seats.