Shimla, Aug. 4 -- The political battle for the 2027 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections gathered momentum on Tuesday as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu predicted a major setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur hit back by asserting that the BJP would return to power with a full majority.

Speaking to reporters after the state-level function marking the 120th birth anniversary of Himachal Pradesh's first Chief Minister, Y S Parmar, Sukhu claimed that public sentiment had turned against a large section of the BJP's sitting legislators.

"I can say that out of the BJP's 28 MLAs, at least 16 will not return to the Assembly. The people have already made up their minds and will not vote for ...