Major gains for Cong in Solan, Palampur

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 7

The ruling BJP suffered a major jolt as the Congress won two of the four Municipal Corporation (MC) polls of Solan and Palampur while Mandi and Dharamsala went to the saffron party, polling for which was held today.

In Palampur, the Congress dealt a severe blow to the BJP by winning 11 of the 15 wards while the BJP and an Independent won one each. In Dharamsala, the BJP won eight wards while the Congress managed victory in five and Independents won in four wards. In Solan, the Congress won nine wards, the BJP seven while an independent won one of the total 17 wards.

In Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the BJP won 11 wards while the Congress won four of the 15 wards.

The Congress’s imposing victory, in the hometown of former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar is being seen as a major embarrassment for the BJP. The Congress won 11 of the 15 wards while the BJP and independents won two wards each.

The election results have dealt a severe blow to the BJP, which was confident of sweeping all four MCs. What is even more worrisome for the BJP is that the Congress victory in Palampur is far more impressive than its own performance in Dharamsala and Mandi.

The election results are being viewed as a major victory for the fund-starved Congress. Though the BJP managed to win in Mandi and Dharamsala, there is bound to be disappointment in its camp. The BJP had won the 2017 Assembly poll, all four Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and the two Assembly bypoll in Renuka and Dharamsala.

The highest polling percentage of 70.81 was recorded in Mandi, followed by 68.85 in Palampur, 63.60 in Dharamsala, and 62.25 in Solan.