Shimla, May 31 (PTI) Party leaders and workers on Friday made a last-ditch effort to woo voters through door-to-door campaigning as Himachal Pradesh heads to polls on Saturday.

Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Friday appealed to all the voters to exercise their franchise on June 1 and said this election is a fight between honesty and dishonesty.

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In a statement issued here, he said, "Every vote is valuable in the election. This time, the election is between saleable and sustainable and it is time to teach a lesson to those who have tried to buy votes with money."

Seeking votes, BJP candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat Kangna Ranaut said, "The leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was indispensable for the unity and integrity of the country."

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She also accused the Congress of "always trying to break or weaken the country".

Right from the beginning, the Congress appeased a particular section and snatched the rights of Hindus and gave it to that section, she said in a statement issued on the eve of polling for Lok Sabha.

Speaking to PTI, sitting MLA from Theog assembly segment Kuldeep Rathore said the last day campaign holds importance, especially when there is a close contest as about one per cent voters make their mind on the last day or last minute.

This one per cent has the power to make or break candidates and usually go with the current wave, the former state Congress chief added.

Former BJP president and ex-minister Suresh Bhardwaj told PTI, "The permanent vote of BJP and Congress in the state ranges between 38-41 per cent and about 5-7 per cent voters make up their mind in the last week, of which one percent watches the situation cautiously and goes with the flow in the last hour."

A gap of 0.9 per cent vote share resulted in a difference of 15 seats in the 2022 assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh. The Congress secured 43.90 per cent vote share, winning 40 seats in the 68 member-Assembly, while the BJP with 43 per cent vote share had 25 seats, while three independents were elected.

This time the state-Centre relations are in focus with local issues dominating the national issues in Himachal Pradesh.

The Congress has targetted the BJP-led NDA government for not giving adequate financial assistance during the worst-ever monsoon disaster last year and accused it of trying to topple the democratically-elected Congress government in the state through money power.

On the other hand, the BJP has accused the Congress of misleading voters by making false promises to grab power at the Centre and backing out from its poll guarantees after winning the state assembly elections.

It has also attacked the Congress-led state government for closing down 1,000 institutions, including health and educational institutions opened by the previous BJP dispensation and wreaking vengeance against the opposition.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)