Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has rejected the BJP's claims of a sweeping victory in the recently concluded urban local body elections, asserting that the Congress emerged as the leading party across the state. He said the BJP's attempt to portray the results as a mandate against the state government was "misleading" and not supported by the overall figures.
Addressing a press conference in Shimla after the declaration of results, Sukhu said Congress secured control of 29 out of 53 urban local bodies, including municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats. According to the Chief Minister, the BJP won 21 bodies, while three local bodies returned hung verdicts. He argued that these numbers clearly show Congress performed better overall in the urban civic polls.
The Chief Minister's remarks came after the BJP celebrated its victories in three of the four municipal corporations that went to the polls. The BJP won the municipal corporations of Mandi, Solan and Dharamshala, while Congress secured victory in Palampur. The BJP has projected these results as evidence of growing public support for the party in the hill state.
However, Sukhu maintained that local body elections cannot be directly compared with Assembly or parliamentary elections. He said civic polls are often influenced by local issues, individual candidates and neighbourhood-level factors rather than broader political trends. According to him, the outcome in several urban bodies reflected local dynamics and the influence of individual leaders rather than a statewide political shift.
Taking a swipe at the opposition, the Chief Minister said the BJP was selectively highlighting victories in a few municipal corporations while ignoring the broader picture. He argued that the overall tally demonstrates continued public confidence in the Congress government and its policies.
The urban local body elections have sparked a political battle between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP, with both sides interpreting the results in their favour. While the BJP has described the outcome as a referendum against the state government, Congress leaders have pointed to their larger overall tally across municipal councils and nagar panchayats as proof of their strength at the grassroots level.
With both parties claiming victory, the results are likely to intensify political competition in Himachal Pradesh ahead of future electoral contests. For now, the debate over who truly emerged stronger from the urban local body elections continues to dominate the state's political landscape.
