The politics of Himachal Pradesh are more associated with the regional divides of the state.[1]
Based on electoral divide, the state can be divided as - Upper Himanchal consisting the districts of Shimla, Sirmaur and parts of Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, Solan, Kinnaur and Chamba; and Lower Himachal consisting the districts of Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Una and the lower region of Mandi district.[1]The State was reorganised on 1966 through the Punjab Reorganisation Act by adding some parts of Punjab to the state of Himanchal Pradesh; and the parts of old Himachal and the newly merged areas too differ in their voting pattern.[1]
National politics
There are four Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian Parliament) constituencies in Himachal Pradesh.
The Himachal Pradesh's Legislative Assembly currently has 68 seats who are directly elected from single-seat constituencies.[2] An election did not take place for 15 years after 1952 due to the enactment of the States Reorganisation Act in 1956 which designated Himachal Pradesh as a Union Territory instead of a Part-C state, falling under the direct control of the President of India.[3] Accordingly, the Legislative Assembly was dissolved. This was later changed in 1963 when the Government of Union Territories Act was passed, providing Himachal with a Legislative Assembly and Chief Minister again.[4] Election were first held again in 1967, after the Punjab Reorganisation Act (1966) was passed, transferring some territory to Himachal Pradesh.[5] Eventually, Himachal Pradesh became a fully fledged state (the 18th of the Union) with the passing of The State of Himachal Pradesh Act in 1970.[6]
The Indian National Congress dominated the state assembly throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, much like most of the nation. The state's first Chief Minister was Yashwant Singh Parmar, who led the region's early development post-Independence. Parmar is still widely celebrated to this day and is even called "The Founder of Himachal Pradesh".[7] After differences with party leaders, Parmar eventually resigned in 1977 at the age of 71. Thakur Ram Lal served as the 2nd Chief Minister until the elections that year. However, in 1977, with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi'sEmergency extremely unpopular throughout the nation, Congress were dealt heavy electoral blows. The state party lost in a landslide to the opposition Janata Party, with Shanta Kumar becoming the state's 3rd Chief Minister. His ministry only lasted for 3 years though, and after multiple party defections,[8] Congress regained power in February 1980 with Ram Lal once again assuming the office of Chief Minister. This administration didn't last either, and after scandals and political turmoil, Ram Lal was forced to resign in 1983, a year after he'd narrowly won re-election.[9] He was replaced by fellow Congress leader Virbhadra Singh. Ever since 1985, no incumbent party has managed to retain control of the Legislative Assembly, and power has flipped between the BJP and INC every few years.
BJP won 44 out of 68 seats to form the government, ousting Congress party from power. Indian National Congress won 21 seats. Jai Ram Thakur was appointed as Chief Minister after the elections.
