Prem Kumar Dhumal was defeated from the Sujanpur Assembly seat.Shimla: The BJP is all set to wrest power in Himachal Pradesh with its candidates on a victory lap in 36 of the 68 seats in the assembly elections on Monday. However, what ended up being a blotch on the saffron party is the poor showing of its chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal in the hill state.
Prem Kumar Dhumal, was defeated from the Sujanpur Assembly seat. He lost to his close rival Rajinder Rana of the Congress.
In Gujarat too, where the BJP is set to form a government for the sixth time, the BJP suffered a scare at the hands of the Congress and were engaged in a brief neck-and-neck contest.
In Himachal, the saffron party won its first seat by defeating Congress cabinet minister Prakash Chaudhary from Balh in Mandi district with a big margin. BJP's Inder Singh Gandhi won this seat.
Likewise, BJP's Ravindra Dhiman defeated Congress' sitting legislator Yadvinder Goma from Jaisinghpur, Kishori Lal of the BJP defeated Bansi Lal of the Congress from the Anni seat.
BJP's sitting legislator Suresh Bhardwaj retained his Shimla seat. He defeated Congress' Harbhajan Bhajji.
BJP and Congress veterans Ravinder Ravi and Viplove Thakur, respectively, faced humiliating defeat from Independent Hoshiar Singh from Dehra.
CPI-M's Rakesh Singha defeated his near rival Rakesh Verma of the BJP from Theog.
(With IANS inputs)
Read more: Latest on Assembly poll results | Why Prakash Raj asked Modi to pause & reflect on poll victory
