Himachal ULB polls: BJP refutes Congress's victory, claims majority

Former Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur refutes Congress's claim of victory in ULB polls. He asserts BJP-backed candidates secured significant victories and accuses the Congress government of trying to pressure winning councillors for president/vice-president posts.

After the Urban Local Bodies results on Sunday, both Congress and BJP in Himachal are claiming victory. The leader of the Opposition and former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday refuted the Congress claim that the results of the Urban Local Body (ULB) elections in the state reflected growing public dissatisfaction against the Congress government and asserted that BJP-backed candidates had secured significant victories across municipal councils and nagar panchayats.

BJP Refutes Congress's Victory Claim

Speaking to ANI in Shimla, Thakur said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had earlier maintained that the elections were not being contested on party symbols but changed his stand after the results were declared. "Earlier, the Chief Minister had said these elections were not being fought on party symbols and everyone was contesting independently. But after the results came, his tone changed because BJP-supported candidates won in large numbers," Thakur said.

He claimed that BJP-backed candidates had performed strongly in municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state. "Out of 25 municipal councils, BJP has secured a major victory in 18, and in 12 out of 22 nagar panchayats, BJP is ahead," he said.

Thakur Alleges Pressure Tactics by Congress

Thakur alleged that the Congress government was now attempting to influence the outcome of the election of presidents and vice-presidents in local bodies by exerting pressure on councillors and elected representatives. "Ministers and MLAs are being told to pressure winning councillors who are not aligned with Congress so that they are compelled to support Congress candidates for the posts of president and vice-president in municipal councils and nagar panchayats," he alleged.

The BJP leader said his party would oppose any such attempts and urged elected councillors to vote according to their conscience. "The public mandate has come against Congress, and it should be respected. Councillors should not come under government pressure. The tenure of this government is also nearing its end," he said.

'Congress Suffered Setbacks in Key Areas'

Highlighting the BJP's performance in several towns, Thakur claimed that the Congress had suffered defeats in key urban local bodies, including Una, Manali, Sundernagar and Sarkaghat. "In Una, including the Chief Minister's own assembly constituency, Congress has suffered setbacks. In Manali, Congress drew a blank. Similar situations were seen in Sundernagar and Sarkaghat", he said.

He further stated that many independent candidates who won the elections were originally BJP workers who had contested due to multiple candidates entering the fray.

BJP Confident for Upcoming Elections

Commenting on the broader political scenario, Thakur said the BJP was confident of performing strongly in the upcoming elections to municipal corporations, zila parishads, block samitis and panchayats. "I am fully confident that the BJP will secure victories in the upcoming municipal corporation elections and also perform strongly in zila parishad, block samiti and panchayat polls," he said.

Reacting to the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Kerala, Thakur said the Congress should not become overexcited over success in a single state. "Congress has been wiped out from most parts of the country. If it has formed a government in one state, that mandate should be respected, but the party leadership must understand the overall political situation across the country," he added. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)