BJP Upbeat In Himachal Pradesh After Winning Three Of Four Municipal Corporations

Shimla: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) camp in Himachal Pradesh is upbeat after the party’s success in the recently held urban local body elections in the state. The party managed to win three of the four Municipal Corporations that went to the polls, securing victories in Mandi, Solan and Dharamshala, while the Congress could manage a win only in Palampur.

These elections were dubbed as the semi-finals ahead of the state assembly polls scheduled to be held towards the end of 2027.

BJP’s National Vice President and Himachal Pradesh Regional In-Charge, Saudan Singh, has described these results as historic. Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, state unit chief Dr. Rajiv Bindal, Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma, Mandi MLA Anil Sharma and the party leader in Solan Dr. Rajesh Kashyap have described these results as a public rejection of the current government's policies.

The BJP won a landslide victory in the Mandi Municipal Corporation, while the wins in Dharamshala and Solan were no less impressive. Only the Palampur Municipal Corporation poll results saved the day for the Congress. The overall results are a disappointment for the Congress government under Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

The BJP won 37 out of 63 wards in the four municipal corporations, while elections were not held in one ward. Its victory percentage was slightly less than 60%.

In Mandi Municipal Corporation, the BJP won 12 of 14 seats, while one ward each went to an independent and the Congress. In Dharamshala, 11 of the 17 wards went in favour of the saffron party. In Solan, the BJP won 10 of the 17 seats.

In Palampur Municipal Corporation, it could manage to win in four of the 17 wards while the Congress romped home in 11 wards.

During the election campaign in Mandi, Sukhu had promised that each ward would receive Rs 50,000,00 for development. The people of the city rejected this promise.

The Leader of the Opposition, while taking a dig at the Congress's defeat, said in the Pahari dialect that the Congress's seed would be wiped out in Mandi. "A little seed still remains. This will also be cleared in the next assembly elections," he said.

In Solan city, Cabinet Minister Dr. Dhaniram Shandil failed to bring his party to power. Meanwhile, in Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma, who had left the Congress to join the BJP, successfully led the BJP to victory. However, the Butail family's charisma continued to work in favour of the Congress in Palampur.

The BJP's success has provided it with a booster dose as the election results indicate that anti-incumbency is raising its head against the Congress. Despite being in power and the Chief Minister's intensive campaigning, the BJP won three of the four corporations.

BJP chief Dr Rajiv Bindal stated that the public is upset with the Congress government's policies, and these results are a reflection of this sentiment. BJP General Secretary Siddharthan added that the victory reflects dissatisfaction with the Congress government. "The hard work of the party workers and the dedication of the organisation have led to the BJP's victory in the municipal corporations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Naresh Chauhan, who is media advisor to Sukhu, said that the real test will be in the 2027 assembly elections. "The BJP need not be overjoyed by this victory,” he said.

Observers, however, say that these results are a welcome relief for the BJP. Jairam Thakur in Mandi, Sudhir Sharma in Dharamshala and Ashish Butail in Palampur have maintained their individual influence among the voters in their area.

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