Loading Himachal Pradesh 2012 map…
Seats by party
INC: 36 seats (52.9%)BJP: 26 seats (38.2%)IND: 5 seats (7.4%)HLP: 1 seats (1.5%)35 for a majority6835 TO GOVERN
  • INC3652.9%
  • BJP2638.2%
  • IND57.4%
  • HLP11.5%
The story

The narrowest of majorities

What happened

The opposition returned to power in Himachal Pradesh, but only just.

The Indian National Congress won 36 of the 68 seats on offer.

That was just 1 seat more than the 35 needed for a majority.

Its vote share — the slice of all ballots cast that went to one party or candidate — was 42.8%.

What changed

This was the first election held on Himachal Pradesh's newly redrawn constituency boundaries.

The boundaries had just gone through delimitation — the official redrawing of constituency boundaries, which happens every so often as India's population shifts.

Power changed hands too: the winning party's own seat count grew from 23 to 36.

Notable numbers

A few numbers from that election stand out.

Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh saw the tightest fight of the night, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of just 24 votes.

At the other extreme, Rohru, Himachal Pradesh was the most one-sided contest, with the winner ahead by 63.5% of the vote.

Sullah, Himachal Pradesh was the largest constituency by registered voters, with 89,293 on its rolls.

Dehra, Himachal Pradesh drew the most crowded field of the election, with 16 candidates on the ballot.

The backdrop

Contests here come down to the same two national parties.

This time it changed hands with barely any seats to spare.

Ask the state

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