Himachal Municipal poll results: BJP wins Mandi, Dharamsala, Solan; Cong gets only Palampur
Shimla, May 31
The principal Opposition BJP in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday won three out of four Municipal Corporations -- Mandi, Dharamsala and Solan -- while the ruling Congress managed to win Palampur alone.
The polling for the four corporations was held on May 17 on party symbols with a straight contest between the BJP and Congress.
Besides the Municipal Corporations, counting of votes for 250 Zila Parishad wards and 1,684 out of 1,769 Panchayat Samiti members is also underway.
Out of the 17 seats, the BJP secured wins in 11 seats, while Congress was restricted to just five seats, with an Independent winning one seat.
The BJP secured a resounding victory in Mandi by winning 12 wards, while Congress and an Independent secured one ward each.
Polling in one ward was boycotted by the electorate over unresolved civic issues.
In Mandi, it was a high-stakes battle for former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, whose home district is Mandi. In the 2021 elections, when he was Chief Minister, the BJP secured 11 wards, while the Congress got four.
In Solan, the BJP won six of the eight wards. The Congress and an Independent each won one seat.
Of the 10 wards where results were announced in Palampur, the Congress won nine wards.
Among the prominent winners in a 17-member civic body in Dharamsala was outgoing Congress Mayor Neenu Sharma, who retained her ward. However, Congress faced setbacks in other wards as BJP candidates secured comfortable wins.
Expressing gratitude to the voters, BJP legislator from Dharamsala, Sudhir Sharma, a Congress rebel, told the media that the results gave clear evidence of the public's resentment against the Congress government and their growing confidence in the BJP.
"These results clearly demonstrate that the public has delivered a mandate in favour of the BJP and against the Congress," Sharma told IANS.
He said the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, has done nothing over the past four years but caused dissent among the people of the state.
"The government has completely failed to address the grievances of employees, the youth, women, traders, and the common people. This very public discontent is now clearly reflected in today's election results," an elated Sharma said.
He said the people of Dharamsala have placed their faith in development, good governance, and politics centred on public welfare. "This victory serves as a public endorsement of the developmental initiatives, pro-poor welfare schemes, and strong leadership being demonstrated across the country under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The public has once again reaffirmed its trust in Prime Minister Modi's policies and the BJP's style of functioning," he added.
The municipal corporation elections were held on May 17. The municipal corporations registered a lower overall turnout of 63.44 per cent. Out of 1,31,369 voters in the corporations, 83,342 voters cast their votes. Among municipal corporations, Mandi recorded the highest polling percentage at 68.78 per cent, while Kangra registered 63.72 per cent turnout, and Solan saw the lowest participation among the corporations at 58.32 per cent. In Dharamsala Municipal Corporation, the polling percentage was 60 per cent.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Congratulations to BJP for this mandate! But I'm a bit worried about the trend of low polling percentages. In Mandi, one ward even boycotted the election over unresolved civic issues. That's not a good sign for any party. If the state government truly wants development, they need to address these local grievances first. The real test is whether these newly elected representatives will actually solve the problems or just become part of the system. 🤔
Finally some good news for BJP after a long time! But honestly, winning municipal elections doesn't mean much when the state is facing real issues like unemployment and inflation. The fact that Congress could only win Palampur shows their anti-incumbency is real. But see how Neenu Sharma (Congress) still won her ward as outgoing Mayor - that shows people do appreciate good individual work. We need more local leaders who focus on ground-level problems, not just party politics. Sunita, my neighbour in Dharamsala, says the roads in our area haven't been repaired in 2 years. Hope this change brings actual development! 🇮🇳
BJP wins in Mandi (12/14 wards) and Solan (6/8) is impressive but let's look at the numbers: overall 63% turnout is low for Himachal which usually has high voter participation. Maybe people are tired of the same old rhetoric. I live in Chandigarh but my family is from Hamirpur, and they say both parties make promises but nothing changes on ground. The Independent winner in Mandi is interesting - shows people want alternatives beyond the BJP-Congress duopoly. But honestly, municipal elections are more about ward-level issues than state governance. Let's hope the winners keep their focus on garbage collection and streetlights, not just photo ops with CM or PM. 😅
Excellent result for BJP! This clearly shows people are fed up with the Congress government's corruption and inefficiency. The fact
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