In the 2022 assembly elections, three Independents namely Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra), Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) and K L Thakur (Nalagarh) were elected but they resigned after voting for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in Rajya Sabha election on February 27.

"The voters have strongly rejected the politics of horse-trading and have voted to maintain political integrity in the state." 

Congress won two seats, including Nalagarh and Dehra, where Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur defeated BJP nominee Hoshyar Singh by 9399 votes.

Sukhu appointed two of his friends, Sunil Kumar Bittu as his Political Advisor and Naresh Chauhan as his Principal Media Advisor in the cabinet rank in December, 2022.

CM Sukhu seemed to be placating the Cong rebel, Dr Rajesh Sharma in Dehra, ensuring his presence at the nomination filing by the Congress nominee.

The State cabinet has given a one-time relaxation for one year in the upper age limit for candidates appearing in the recruitment of 1226 posts of constables in the Police dept.

CM Sukhu’s wife, Kamlesh Thakur will be making her debut in state politics with a ticket for the Dehra Assembly by-poll, she is pitted against BJP nominee, Hoshyar Singh, who recently resigned as Independent MLA.

While answering questions CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the people must ask independents why they forced by-polls on them when they were already elected for five years. 

Over 70 vote-counting centres have been set up in Himachal Pradesh.

In his debut contest, Dr Rajiv Bharadwaj, 62, of the BJP is taking on Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma in the parliamentary seat made up of 13 assembly segments of HP's Kangra district and four of Chamba district.

The highest number of 118 polling stations are in Kangra district, followed by 58 in Sirmaur and 51 in Una.

National Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi held a roadshow in Solan and later paid obeisance at Jakhu temple in Shimla, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed poll rallies in Hamirpur and Mandi.