The Congress has increased its tally from 31 to 40 in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly despite a
3 per cent fall in its vote share vis-a-vis the 1998 election.

Polling in three assembly constituencies will take place in June.

The BJP's strength in the House fell from 29 to 16 with a 3.5 per cent decline in its vote share.

An increase of 14 per cent in the votes polled by independent candidates and smaller parties contributed to the decline in the vote share of the Congress and the BJP.

The Congress' vote share fell from 43.5 per cent in 1998 to 40.5 per cent this year and that of the BJP from
39.03 to 35.5 per cent.

Former Union minister Sukh Ram's Haryana Vikas Congress suffered a loss of 4.4 per cent in its vote share.

The surge in the vote share of independents was mainly due to the presence of rebels from both the Congress and the BJP in a number of seats.

The margin of victory for Congress candidates in many constituencies in Shimla and Sirmaur districts fell sharply. But the party wrested several seats in Kangra, Hamirpur, Una and Kullu which the BJP had won by thin margins in 1998.