In a significant turn of events, the Congress party has won a decisive victory in the Shimla Municipal Corporation election held on Wednesday. The Congress has won 24 seats out of 34 and has effectively wrested control of the civic body from the BJP, which won only nine seats. The CPIM managed to secure one seat, while the AAP failed to open an account.
The Congress party, which had suffered a defeat in the 2017 MC elections, has bounced back strongly this time, winning almost double the number of seats it won previously. The BJP, which had won 17 wards in 2017, saw a considerable decline in its vote share and managed to win only nine wards this time.
List of Winning Candidates
- Ward No 1 ( Bharari): BJP’s Meena Chauhan wins by 382 votes
- Ward No 2 (Ruldu Bhatta): BJP’s Saroj Thakur wins by 27 votes
- Ward No 3 (Kaithu): Congress’ Kanta Suyal of Cong wins by 362 votes
- Ward No 4 (Annadale): Congress’ Urmila Kashyap wins by 165 votes
- Ward No 5 (Summerhill): CPM’s Virender Thakur wins by 78 votes
- Ward No 6 (Totu): Congress’ Monika Bhardwaj wins by 161 votes
- Ward No 7 (Majiath): Congress’ Anita Sharma wins by 657 votes
- Ward No 8 (Boileauganj) Congress’ Dilip Thapa wins by 279 votes
- Ward No 9 (Kachi Ghati): Congress’ Kiran Sharma by 72 votes
- Ward No 10 (Tutikandi): Congress’ Uma Kaushal wins by 521
- Ward No 11 (Nabha): Congress’ Simi Nanda wins by 147 votes
- Ward No 12 (Phagli): BJP’s Kalyan Dhiman wins by 113 votes
- Ward No 13 (Krishna Nagar): BJP’s Bittu Kumar wins by 23 votes
- Ward No 14 (Ram Bazar): Congress’ Sushma Kuthiala wins by 34 votes
- Ward No 15 (Lower Bazar) Congress’ Umang Banga wins by 362 votes
- Ward No 16 (Jakhu) Congress’ Atul Gautam wins by 313 votes
- Ward No 17 (Benmore) Congress’ Sheenam Kataria wins by 116 votes
- Ward No 19 (Sanjauli Chowk) Congress’ Mamta Chandel wins by 196 votes
- Ward No 18 (Engine Ghar) Congress’ Mamta Chandel wins by 306 votes
- Ward No 20 (Upper Dhalli) BJP’s Kamlesh Mehta Wins by 70 votes
- Ward No 21 (Lower Dhali) Congress’ Vishakha Modi wins by 379 votes
- Ward No 22 (Shanti Vihar) Congress’ Vinit Sharma wins 705 votes
- Ward No 23 (Bhattakufar) Congress’ Narender Thakur wins by 342 votes
- Ward No 24 (Sangti) Congress’ Kuldeep Thakur wins by 299 votes
- Ward No 25 (Malyana) Congress’ Shanta Verma wins by 39 votes
- Ward No 26 (Panthaghatti) BJP’s Kusum Thakur wins by 371 votes
- Ward No 27 (Kasumpati) BJP’s Rachna Sharma wins by 279 votes
- Ward No 28 (Chotta Shimla) Congress Surender Chauhan wins by 557 votes
- Ward No 29 (Vikas Nagar) Congress’ Rachna Bhardwaj wins 773 votes
- Ward No 30 (Kangna Dhar) Congress’ Ram Rattan Sharma wins by 98 votes
- Ward No 31 (Pateog) BJP’s Asha Sharma wins by 63 votes
- Ward No 32 (New Shimla) BJP’s Nisha Thakur wins by 58 votes
- Ward No 33 (Khalini) BJP’s Chaman Prakash wins by 8 votes
- Ward No 34 (Kanlog) Congress’ Alok Pathania by 474 votes
The Shimla MC election was seen as a crucial test for both the Congress and the BJP. The BJP, on the other hand, will have to introspect and rework its strategy in the state, as it has suffered a setback in a key municipal body. The election witnessed a good turnout, with over 59% of the registered voters casting their votes.
