SHIMLA: The results of urban local body elections in Himachal Pradesh, held on May 17, have triggered fresh political heat in the state with both ruling Congress and opposition BJP claiming success in their strongholds.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has thanked the people of Mandi and Kangra districts for reposing faith in his government’s work. He described the wins as a stamp of approval for Congress’s politics of public service, development, and trust.
In Mandi district, Congress-supported candidates won 23 out of 48 wards across six urban bodies. The party secured four bodies – Nerchowk, Rewalsar, Karsog, and Sarkaghat – with impressive margins. Sukhu took to social media to credit the people for their continued support to the government’s welfare schemes.
Similarly, Congress achieved a clean sweep in Kangra district, winning all six municipal councils – Dehra, Nurpur, Kangra, Jawalamukhi, Shahpur, and Nagrota Bagwan. The Chief Minister called it a decisive mandate and praised party workers for their hard work.
However, the picture across the state tells a more mixed story. Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur rejected Sukhu’s claims outright and launched a sharp attack on the ruling party.
Thakur said Congress has lost several important municipal councils including Una, Bilaspur, Manali, Sundernagar, and Sarkaghat. He pointed out that in 25 municipal councils, BJP-supported candidates won 18, while in 22 nagar panchayats, the BJP took 12. In Manali, Congress failed to open its account.
“The results have made it clear that Congress is continuously losing ground in the state,” Thakur said. He compared Sukhu’s refusal to accept defeat with the style of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “Even his own cabinet ministers do not trust his claims anymore,” he added.
Thakur also alleged that after the results, the Chief Minister has directed officials, MLAs, and ministers to put pressure on winning BJP-supported candidates to switch sides. “We will strongly oppose such politics of pressure and horse-trading,” he warned.
The former CM further claimed that the Congress government’s “reverse counting” has begun. He reminded that the urban polls were held only after intervention by the High Court and Supreme Court, suggesting the ruling party was reluctant to face the electorate earlier.
Despite the claims and counter-claims, the elections have highlighted the strong regional divide. Congress performed well in its traditional pockets in Mandi and Kangra, while BJP maintained an upper hand in many other areas.
Political observers say these results, though for local bodies, will have an impact on the morale of both parties ahead of future panchayat and district council polls. For the Congress government, holding on to its core areas provides some relief amid anti-incumbency talk. For BJP, the wider wins across municipal councils strengthen its position as the main challenger.
With both sides digging in, the coming days are likely to see continued political sparring in the hill state. The real test, however, will come in the larger rural polls still to be held.
