Shimla, May 17 -- The BJP-backed candidates registered a significant victory in Himachal Pradesh's urban local body polls, sweeping all seven wards of the Manali Municipal Council in Kullu district, while the ruling Congress managed to edge out the BJP in Dalhousie and Nahan.
Polling for 51 urban local bodies, including four municipal corporations at Dharamshala, Solan, Palampur and Mandi, was held on Sunday. While the results for the four municipal corporations will be declared on May 31 along with the Panchayat election results, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced the outcomes for 25 municipal councils and 22 nagar panchayats. The elections are being seen as a key political test for both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP ahead of the 2027 Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls.
According to the SEC, around 72 per cent voting was recorded in 47 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, while the four municipal corporations registered 63.61 per cent turnout.
Polling was conducted for 449 posts across 64 wards in municipal corporations, 229 wards in municipal councils and 156 wards in nagar panchayats. A total of 1,147 candidates were in the fray. Congress-backed candidates won six out of nine wards in the Nurpur Municipal Council, while BJP-backed candidates secured the remaining three.
In Rampur Municipal Council, BJP-backed candidates won five of the nine wards, leaving four to Congress-supported nominees.
Congress-backed candidates swept all three wards of the Nahan Municipal Council, located in the home constituency of BJP state president Rajeev Bindal. In Theog Municipal Council, both Congress- and BJP-backed candidates won three wards each.
The BJP also scored a major victory in Tahliwal Nagar Panchayat in Una district, considered the stronghold of Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, winning five out of seven wards.
Nerwa in Shimla district recorded the highest turnout at 89.08 per cent.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.