Shimla, Dec 8 (UNI) The counting of votes for the 68 assembly constituencies of Himachal Pradesh kicked off early on Thursday at 8 am.
The elections in the hilly state were conducted in one single phase on November 12. The state registered a record voter turnout of 75.6 per cent in the polls.
The current assembly, for which the elections were held in 2017, has 44 MLAs of the BJP, while the Congress has 21 MLAs. Two MLAs are Independents and the CPM has one seat.
Traditionally, the BJP and Congress have remained the two contenders to rule the state.
No incumbent government has returned to power in Himachal Pradesh for a second consecutive term since 1982.

The challenge for the ruling BJP has been to buck the anti incumbency factor and overturn the convention.
The Congress mainly remained dependent on the voters to go with the four decade old trend in the state.
Himachal Pradesh is being considered a prestige battle for BJP national president JP Nadda. The entire electoral campaign of the party revolved around his choices, be it in ticket distribution or in strategy.
UNI ASU PRT