CPM’s vote share dipped by 9% in MC elections

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 22

The CPM had created history by ruling the Shimla Municipal Corporation for five years. However, the Left party was decimated in the elections the results of which were declared on Tuesday.

The CPM showing was poor as its vote share dropped from 22 per cent in 2012 direct election to 13 per cent in the indirect elections this time.

The CPM had fielded 21 candidates out of 34 wards in the recently concluded municipal corporation elections. The party could retain its lone Summer Hill seat, while it came second in six wards. It had two sitting councilors, while BJP had 12 and Congress 11 in the old 25- member MC House.

“Both the Congress and the BJP attacked us but we faced no anti-incumbency,” claimed CPM leader Tikender Panwar, former deputy Mayor.

The CPM suffered a jolt in the SC reserved Krisha Nagar ward, considered to be a cadre bastion, where its mayoral candidate Sonia came fifth. The BJP backed Bittu Kumar won the seat in a multi-cornered contest in which nine candidates were in fray.

The CPM-backed councilor Shelly Sharma retained Summer Hill seat by defeating Suhsma Devi by 149 votes while the Congress backed Anjana Thakur came poor third. But Kanta Suyal, sitting councillor, lost to BJP-backed Sunil Dhar just by 26 votes.