Local elections to set tone for 2027: Himachal ex-CM Jai Ram Thakur

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday said the upcoming urban local body and panchayat elections in the state would serve as a “semi-final” ahead of the 2027 Vidhan Sabha polls, which he claimed the BJP would win with a thumping majority.

Welcoming the poll announcement, he said the election process must be completely free and fair, alleging unnecessary delays due to the “lax attitude” of the government machinery and political pressure, which, he said, had impacted grassroots democratic institutions.

“The people of the state have made up their mind to defeat the Congress so that the stalled pace of development can be restored without discrimination and Himachal can be brought back on the path of progress,” he said.

Thakur added that the BJP was fully prepared for the upcoming local body and municipal corporation elections and would give the Congress “a decisive drubbing”.

“The people of the state, especially women, farmers, orchardists and the unemployed, are eager to exercise their franchise as they feel deceived by unfulfilled electoral guarantees,” he said.