In a disappointing turn of events for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the party has failed to secure even a single seat in the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections. The party, which contested the polls for the first time in the Shimla MC, suffered a crushing defeat as all its candidates lost their security deposits.
According to the election results announced on Thursday, AAP candidates could not even touch the double-digit mark in three wards. The party polled only 373 votes out of the total 55,385 votes cast. The number of voters who opted for the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option was higher than the total votes secured by the party.
AAP had fielded candidates from 21 of the 34 wards in Shimla, claiming that it was relying only on honest candidates who followed party ideology and not defectors. However, the strategy failed to impress voters as the party candidates could not touch even the 50-vote mark from any of the 21 wards they contested.
The highest votes polled in favour of an AAP candidate were 42 from the Engine Ghar ward.
The AAP’s dismal performance in the Shimla MC elections comes as a blow to the party, which was hoping to gain a foothold in the state. The party had been campaigning vigorously. However, the voters in Shimla seemed to have rejected the party’s message.
The AAP’s poor performance in the Shimla MC elections has once again highlighted the challenges that the party faces in expanding its footprint beyond Delhi. It remains to be seen whether the party will be able to bounce back from this setback and make a mark in the state in the future.
In contrast, the Congress party won 24 MC wards, while the BJP secured nine seats in the SMC elections. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) could only manage to secure a single seat. The results of the SMC elections are a clear indication that voters in Shimla have given their mandate to the Congress party, which has emerged as the single largest party in the civic body.
