Heading for a two-thirds majority, the BJP was on Thursday poised to retain power in Gujarat for a record seventh straight term but was set to be dethroned by the Congress in Himachal Pradesh where the hill state could follow its long history of an incumbent government being voted out.Riding on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed 31 election rallies in his home state and continued to hold sway over voters, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) steamrolled the opposition that included the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) by winning or leading in 157 of the 182 seats in Gujarat with a vote share of nearly 53 per cent.Exit polls had predicted a huge win for BJP in Gujarat assembly elections while a close contest between BJP and Congress in Himachal Pradesh. A win in Gujarat assembly elections 2022 would boost PM Modi-led BJP’s bid for a consecutive third term at the Centre in 2024. A win for Congress party in Himachal Pradesh would help the grand old party arrest its electoral decline.According to the latest Election Commission data at 3 pm for Himachal Pradesh, the Congress was winning or leading in ahead in 39 of the 68 seats followed by the BJP, which won or was ahead in 26 seats and was hoping to buck the anti-incumbency trend witnessed in the hill state for nearly four decades. Independents were ahead in three constituencies. The AAP, which had fielded candidates in 67 seats, was trailing in all seats and had a meagre vote share of 1.1 per cent.In Himachal Pradesh, state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, wife of former chief minister late Virbhadra Singh, said the party is hoping to win at least 40 to 42 seats.Senior Congress leader and former union minister Anand Sharma said the Congress victory in Himachal Pradesh will have resonance and ripple effect in poll-bound states next year. Stay with TOI for the latest updates on election results of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections 2022.