Himachal: Congress regains control of Chamba Municipal Council after decade

The Congress has regained control of the Chamba Municipal Council by securing key leadership positions in the civic body.

Bhuvneshwari Gulati was elected the chairperson of the MC on Thursday. Jitender Surya has been appointed as vice-chairperson.

Gulati’s victory came as the chairperson’s post was reserved for a woman councillor from the Scheduled Caste category. She emerged as the sole eligible elected representative in the 11-member council.

For vice-chairperson’s post, Surya defeated his rival candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party by 7-5.

In the May 17 municipal elections, both Congress and BJP had won five seats each, while an independent candidate was elected on one seat.

Political equations shifted to the Congress’ favour after its leaders managed to get support of the independent candidate, enabling the party to claim leadership of the civic body.

Reacting to the outcome, Chamba MLA Neeraj Nayar congratulated the newly elected chairperson, vice-chairperson and councillors. He stated that the Congress-led council would focus on strengthening sanitation services and speeding up development projects to make Chamba a cleaner and more livable town.

The Congress’ takeover of the Chamba Municipal Council is being seen as a significant political achievement ahead of the future local body and Assembly elections, reflecting a shift in voter preferences in the historic hill town. Previously, the BJP had ruled Chamba Municipal Council for consecutive terms.