Shimla: In a keenly contested election to 47 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) held without party symbols, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress on Monday staked claim to victory even as the final picture remained mixed.
Over 72.42 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the elections to 25 Municipal Councils and 22 Nagar Panchayats held across Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
Congress on Monday claimed a decisive victory in the elections to 47 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Himachal Pradesh, asserting that Congress-supported candidates won a clear majority of the local bodies even though the polls were held without party symbols. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu posted on X from Kerala:
“Congress supported candidates won 32 ULBs including Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats. People of Himachal trusted the development and public service work of the Congress government in the state.”
Congress general secretary (organisation) Vinod Zinta told mediapersons at Rajiv Bhawan in Shimla that the party won 31 out of 47 ULBs and described the outcome as a “semi-final” ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
“The BJP was completely wiped out from the 31 ULBs. In the largest district, Kangra and in Chamba, the BJP failed to win even a single ULB,” Zinta said.
He added that Congress registered one-sided victories in all three urban local bodies in Chamba district, won six ULBs in Kangra district, and performed strongly in Hamirpur, Shimla, Sirmaur, and Solan districts.
Zinta admitted that the Congress did not officially declare candidates for the polls but emphasised that the victory of Congress-backed workers and supporters clearly reflected the people’s strong support for the ruling Congress government and its development agenda.
He expressed confidence that the Congress would repeat the performance in the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections scheduled for May 31.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Dr Rajeev Bindal claimed that the BJP had secured 120 out of 229 seats in the 25 Municipal Councils, with Congress getting 89 and others 20. He also claimed a strong performance by the BJP in several Nagar Panchayats.
Bindal described the results as a “historic victory” for the BJP and said it reflected people’s rejection of the Congress government’s “failures and false guarantees.” He alleged that Congress ministers and MLAs were trying to influence winning councillors ahead of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson elections.
The contrasting claims from both parties reflect the complexities of symbol-free elections, where candidates contested as Independents. The real strength of each party is likely to become clearer after the elections for Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons in the coming days.
