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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday won elections in three of four Municipal Corporations in Himachal Pradesh. The party won the polls in Dharamshala, Mandi and Solan, while Congress won Palampur corporation.
The BJP swept the Dharamshala Municipal Corporation, winning 11 seats out of a total of 17. Congress won five seats, whereas one was secured by an independent candidate. The voting for the civic body elections in Himachal Pradesh was held on May 17. BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudheer Sharma, attributed the victory to "public mood against Congress government" in the state. Sudheer Sharma told ANI, "I want to express my gratitude towards the people of Dharamshala for winning the MC elections with a full majority of BJP candidates. This is the first time that the BJP is going to rule Dharamshala's municipal corporation. BJP has won three municipal corporations out of four, and it shows that the mood of the public is against the ruling Congress government." Newly elected councillor in Dharamshala, Praveen Kumar, said that he would focus on development in the region. He thanked the party's top leadership and workers for the victory. Praveen Kumar said, "This is a win for the people and the electors. Our region used to be the number one panchayat in Asia many years ago, and then this area was merged into the Municipal Corporation, but there was very poor management, and very few development works have been done here. So, my priorities will always be focused on the development of this region. I thank BJP's top leadership, MLA Sudheer Sharma and party workers." The local body elections were crucial for both the BJP and Congress as they will lock horns in the Assembly elections next year. Principal Media Advisor to Himachal Pradesh CM, Naresh Chauhan, said, "The counting took place today for the elections to the four Municipal Corporations, for which voting was held on the 17th, comprising Solan, Mandi, Palampur, and Dharamshala. While the elections for these four corporations were limited to specific assembly segments, a much broader electoral exercise took place across the entire state, involving the Panchayati Raj system and the urban local bodies; the results for those elections have also been declared. Elections were held in 47 different locations, and in the majority of these places, the Congress received the mandate of the people." "In this second phase, specifically in the four locations, the people of Palampur extended overwhelming support to the Congress and their local MLA. It is true that we did not have a significant stake in Mandi. In Dharamshala, due to a shortfall of just three seats, the contest tilted in favour of the BJP. Similarly, in Solan, the Congress candidates fell short by a very narrow margin of just two seats; consequently, the BJP is poised to form the Municipal Corporation there," Naresh Chauhan added. (ANI)
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