The Newz Radar
The Congress has dealt another blow to the BJP after the recent Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll debacle as its candidates emerged victorious in 24 of the total 34 wards in the Shimla Municipal Corporation, election to which were conducted on May 2.
With the Congress emerging way above the half-way mark of 18, the party, which is in power in the state, has wrested control of the country’s oldest civic body, formed before Independence, from the BJP. The saffron party had won the civic body elections for the first time ever in 2017. The BJP had then won in 17 wards while the Congress won 12.
This time, the BJP has remained confined to single digit as its candidates won in nine wards. One seat (Summerhill) went to the CPI-M.
The Congress has won from wards number 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 33 and 34. The BJP won in wards 1, 2, 12, 13, 20, 26, 27, 31 and 32. The CPI-M won in ward number 5. The counting was held for seven rounds in each round and there were 102 candidates in all.
BJP leader Satya Kaundal, the outgoing Mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, has lost the election to Mamta Chandel of the Congress from Ward No. 19 (Sanjauli Chowk).
BJP nominee Meena Chauhan, who had switched to the saffron party after being denied the ticket from the Congress, won from Ward No. 1 Bharari. Satya Verma of the Congress won from Ward No. 2 Ruldubhatta, Kanta Suyal (Congress) from Ward No. 3 Kaithu, Sapna Kashyap (BJP) from Ward No. 4 Anandale, CPI’s Virender Thakur from Ward No. 5 Summerhill, Monika Bhardwaj (Congress) from Ward No. 6 Tutu and Anita Sharma (Congress) from Ward No. 7 Majyath.
Anita Sharma’s victory from Ward No. 7 Majyath is of particular significance as she is the wife of former councillor Diwakar Dev Sharma. Monika Bhardwaj’s win from Ward No. 6 Tutu also came as a surprise as this ward had been a BJP stronghold in the past.
Congress’s Chaman Prakash won from Ward No. 33 Khalini, Ramratna Verma of Congress from Ward No. 30 Kangana Dhar, Alok Pathania of Congress from Ward No. 34 Kanlog and Rachna Bhardwaj of the Congress from Ward No. 29 Vikas Nagar. BJP’s Asha Sharma won from Ward No. 31 Patyog and BJP’s Nisha Thakur from Ward No. 32 New Shimla.
Kuldeep Thakur of the Congress won from Ward No. 24 Sangti, Shanta Verma of the Congress from Ward No. 25 Malyana and Surendra Chauhan of the Congress from Ward No. 28 Chhota Shimla. Rachna Sharma of the BJP has won from Ward No. 27 Kasumpti and Kusum Thakur of the BJP from Ward No. 26 Pantaghati.
