While five states vote in the spring of 2027, two more follow at the end of the year. Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh both had their results counted on 8 December 2022, so their assemblies run until around the turn of 2027–28. The Election Commission usually announces their schedules in the autumn.
The two states
- Gujarat: 182 seats, majority 92. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel (BJP).
- Himachal Pradesh: 68 seats, majority 35. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Congress).
- Expected polls: late 2027. No dates announced.
Gujarat: a record and a long streak
Gujarat voted in two phases, on 1 and 5 December 2022. The BJP won 156 of 182 seats, the highest tally by any party in the state’s history — beating the Congress’s 149 in 1985.
| Party | 2022 seats |
|---|---|
| Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) | 156 |
| Indian National Congress | 17 |
| Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) | 5 |
| Samajwadi Party | 1 |
| Independents | 3 |
| Total | 182 |
- The BJP has won every Gujarat assembly election since 1995.
- The Congress fell to 17 seats, its lowest in the state.
- AAP won its first five seats in Gujarat. Its vote share there helped it gain recognition as a national party in 2023.
Bhupendra Patel, first appointed Chief Minister in September 2021, was sworn in for a second term in December 2022.
Gujarat’s numbers
- Reserved seats: 27 for Scheduled Tribes, mostly along the eastern tribal belt, and 13 for Scheduled Castes.
- Lok Sabha: 26 seats. Rajya Sabha: 11 seats.
- Presidential election: each MLA’s vote is worth 147.
Gujarat was included in the current Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls; its final roll is due on 4 January 2027.
Himachal Pradesh: the state that always changes
Himachal Pradesh voted in a single phase on 12 November 2022. The Congress won 40 of 68 seats and the BJP 25, with three independents.
| Election | Party that formed the government |
|---|---|
| 1990 | BJP |
| 1993 | Congress |
| 1998 | BJP-led coalition |
| 2003 | Congress |
| 2007 | BJP |
| 2012 | Congress |
| 2017 | BJP |
| 2022 | Congress |
Since 1990, Himachal has not re-elected a sitting government. Whether that pattern holds in 2027 is the state’s central political question.
The 2024 test
In February 2024, six Congress MLAs cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election. With the vote tied, the BJP candidate won by a draw of lots. The Speaker disqualified the six MLAs under the anti-defection law, and three independents resigned their seats. By-elections to the nine vacant seats were held in June and July 2024, and the Congress kept its majority in the house.
The episode is a reminder of how Rajya Sabha elections, decided by MLAs, can put pressure on a state government.
Himachal’s numbers
- Reserved seats: 17 for Scheduled Castes and 3 for Scheduled Tribes.
- Lok Sabha: 4 seats. Rajya Sabha: 3 seats.
- Presidential election: each MLA’s vote is worth 51.
Himachal Pradesh was not part of the October 2026 roll-revision order. The Election Commission said it would notify a separate schedule for the state, taking winter conditions in the high hills into account.
Why the timing matters
These two elections come several months after the presidential election due by July 2027. That means the MLAs who vote for the next President in Gujarat and Himachal will be the ones elected in 2022, while Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will by then have new assemblies.
Follow Gujarat Election 2027 and Himachal Election 2027.
