TNR Desk
Dharamshala: The mayoral elections for Dharamshala Municipal Corporation were swept by Congress by capitalizing on the weaknesses of three prominent BJP leaders, Vipin Parmar, Trilok Kapoor, and Pawan Kajal of not involving Kangra MP Kishan Kapoor and Ex-MLA Vishal Nehria.
BJP’s trio had paraded 10 out of 17 councillors to the Municipal Corporation office in Dharamshala at 3:00 PM, holding them together for two days.
However, a strategic cross-voting move by one BJP-supported councilor within the group turned the tide.
The BJP leaders’ strategy seemed to falter, with reports suggesting that they did not include the trust of Dharamshala’s resident MP Kishan Kapoor and former MLA Vishal Neharia in their planning. Both Kapoor and Nehariya were not involved in the mayoral election strategy.
On the other hand, the election of Neenu Sharma, who had opened a front against Congress MLA Sudhir Sharma in the previous municipal elections held two and a half years ago, as the mayor is creating new dynamics in Dharamshala politics.
The election for mayor saw Neenu Sharma and Monika Pathania as the candidates from Congress and BJP, respectively. Both candidates secured nine votes each from the total 18 voters. The final result was determined by drawing lots, with Congress emerging victorious.
Raghuvir Singh Bali, the Cabinet rank MLA of Congress who played the role of an observer in the elections, affirmed that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu’s decision to appoint him as the “senapati” (commander) in this political battle was not a mistake.
The Mayor election in Dharamshala with 17 councilors was crucial, and the strategic cross-voting by one BJP-supported councilor turned out to be the deciding factor, securing Deputy Mayor Tejendra Kaur’s position for the BJP.
The political landscape in Dharamshala is witnessing a paradigm shift, and the victory of Congress in the mayor election is signaling changes in the local political equations. The outcome has given Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu a sigh of relief and dealt a blow to BJP leaders eyeing tickets in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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