Shimla, June 1 -- In a jolt to the Congress in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party won Mandi, Dharamshala and Solan municipal corporation elections, while the ruling party managed to retain its mandate in the Palampur civic body. The elections to the four urban local bodies were held on May 17, and the results were declared on Sunday. In Dharamshala, the BJP emerged victorious in 11 of the total 17 seats, while Congress managed five and one seat went to Independent. In Solan, BJP won 10 seats, Congress six and Independent one. The Congress emerged victorious in Palampur, retaking control by winning 11 out of 15 wards, while the BJP scored victory in four seats. In Mandi, BJP won in 12 of the 14 wards, securing a comfortable majority in the civic body. The Congress managed to win only one ward, while an Independent candidate ( a Congress rebel) emerged victorious in another. More than 63.65% polling was recorded across the four MCs. Palampur reported the highest turnout 68.97% among the corporations, followed by Mandi at 68.78%, Dharamshala at 60.01% and Solan at 58.32%. Dharamshala, considered as home turf of BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma, saw a battle of prestige. A former Congress minister, Sharma switched to the BJP in 2024 and has since been locked in a political rivalry with chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Elated over the BJP's victory in the Dharamshala civic polls, Sharma stated that these results serve as clear evidence of the public's outrage against the state's Congress government and their growing confidence in the BJP. "These results clearly demonstrate that the public has delivered a mandate in favor of the BJP and against the Congress," said Sharma. Expressing happiness over retaining Mandi seat, former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said,"Mandi BJP ki thi, hai aur rahegi." Mandi MC is part of Thakur's constituency and he had been campaigning in Mandi and leading the campaign since elections were announced. "The message is loud and clear- the mandate is to oust Congress," said Thakur after the victory. The Congress registered a resounding victory in the Palampur Municipal Corporation elections, winning 11 of the 15 wards and retaining control of the civic body for a second consecutive term. Political observers believe the verdict reflects the electorate's endorsement of the Congress-led municipal corporation's performance over the past five years, particularly in the areas of urban development, civic infrastructure and public services. "It is clear vote for the development," said Palampur MLA Ashish Butail, adding "the results demonstrated the people's faith in the Congress party's development-orienteda approach." Analysts further say that the party's strong performance in Palampur could strengthen its position across Kangra district, which remains politically crucial because of its large number of assembly constituencies. The defeat has also sparked discussions within BJP circles regarding the need for organisational restructuring and the emergence of a new generation of leadership capable of reconnecting with voters....