SHIMLA, DECEMBER 20, 2012

The Congress was on Thursday set to return to power in Himachal Pradesh, with its candidates winning three seats and leading in more than 35 of the 68 seats.

Election Commission officials said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had also won from three seats and forged ahead in 20 constituencies.

Independents, mainly BJP rebels, were leading on four seats. One independent, Congress rebel Kirnesh Jung, was declared elected from Paonta Sahib.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal won from Hamirpur, defeating Narinder Thakur of the Congress by over 9,000 votes.

Congress veteran and five-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh, leading by a huge margin from Shimla (Rural), was confident his party would form the government.

"We are forming the next government," he told the media here.

The Congress has won from Bilaspur, Gagret and Baijnath while the BJP won from Nahan, Manali and Hamirpur.

Among the political veterans who were earlier trailing but later forged ahead were seven-time legislator Vidya Stokes (Congress), former Congress state chief Kaul Singh and BJP state leader Satpal Satti, officials said.

The independents who are leading are Balbir Singh Verma (Chopal) as well as BJP rebels Sudha Sushant, wife of BJP MP from Kangra Rajan Sushant (Fatehpur), Rakesh Pathania (Nurpur) and Darshan Saini (Doon).

In 2007, the BJP won 41 seats, the Congress 23, the Bahujan Samaj Party one and independents three. The BSP legislator later joined the BJP.