Arki Nagar Panchayat polls: Congress bags president's post, BJP secures vice-president's seat

Congress-supported Seema Sharma was elected president of the Arki Nagar Panchayat, while BJP-supported Veena Thakur was elected vice-president in the elections held on Tuesday at Arki.

The duo was chosen through a draw of lots after the election ended in a tie, with both candidates securing four votes each. Seema Sharma has been elected as the civic body's president for the second time.

BJP-backed candidates had secured a majority by winning four seats in the elections held on May 17, while Congress-supported candidates managed to win only three seats. The ruling party, however, levelled the tally with the vote of local MLA Sanjay Awasthi. This brought both parties on par, prompting the Assistant Returning Officer to decide the winner through a draw of lots.

Seema Sharma has been fortunate for the second time in this civic body election, as she had earlier won her seat through a draw of lots as well. With the post of president reserved for a woman, she was the Congress' sole candidate for the top post, while the BJP had three contenders.

For the vice-president's post, BJP-supported Veena Thakur was pitted against Congress candidate Pradeep, and luck favoured Veena.

The provision allowing the local MLA to vote in the civic body president's election helped the ruling Congress secure at least one of the two top posts in Arki and Parwanoo. The party had failed to secure a majority in either of the two civic bodies. Arki is the only civic body in the district where a Congress-supported president has been elected.

Overall, the ruling Congress' performance in the civic body elections in Solan district has been dismal, as it failed to secure a majority in the Nalagarh Municipal Council and suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Solan Municipal Corporation. Its candidates also lagged in a majority of the Block Development Committee elections, reflecting its eroding voter base.

In Kandaghat Nagar Panchayat, the BJP has secured a majority. Elections for the posts of president and vice-president were yet to be held.