HP assembly elections 2022: Congress comeback in a tight bi-polar contest

The Assembly election results in Himachal Pradesh have once again reaffirmed and validated the fact that the bi-polar contest in this small hilly state is well entrenched since 1985. Congress and BJP have alternatively shared power in the state for more than three and a half decades and no third alternative or party has so far succeeded in making inroads in the electoral battleground. The hype created after AAP’s landslide victory in the neighbouring state of Punjab (February to March 2022) also failed to make a dent in the vote pockets of the dominant parties. This paper attempts to look at the possible reasons for stable bi-polar competitive politics along with the possible indicators on what could have contributed to the Congress victory in this hill state.