Shimla, Nov 5 (IANS) Campaigning for by-elections to two assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh ended at 5 p.m. Thursday. Polling will be held Saturday.
“The campaigning for the by-elections for Rohru and Jawali seats ended this (Thursday) evening,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anil Khachi told IANS.

He said all preparation have been completed for the smooth conduct of the elections.

“As many as 111 poll parties were despatched today (Thursday) to the Rohru assembly constituency for the conduct of the elections. For Jawali, 91 parties would be sent tomorrow (Friday),” he said.

Khachi said there are eight candidates in the fray for the two assembly segments, four in each constituency.

The Rohru and Jawali seats fell vacant after legislators Virbhadra Singh (Congress) and Rajan Sushant (Bharatiya Janata Party) were elected to the Lok Sabha.

The main contest is between the opposition Congress and the ruling BJP.

The Congress has fielded former minister Sujan Singh Pathania against BJP’s Baldev Raj Chaudhary from Jawali in Kangra district. From Rohru in Shimla district, the BJP has pitted Khushi Ram Balnatah against Manjit Singh of the Congress.

On the last day of campaigning, Congress leaders, including Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and state chief Kaul Singh Thakur campaigned for the party in Rohru.

BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, also held rallies in Rohru, a stronghold of Virbhadra Singh for the past two decades.

In Jawali, BJP leader Shanta Kumar and its MP Rajan Sushant campaigned. For the Congress, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and former MP Chander Kumar addressed rallies.

The BJP had fared well in the May general elections, winning three out of the four parliamentary seats in the state.