Shimla, May 18, 2026
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Jairam Thakur, while expressing gratitude to the people of the state for the BJP’s resounding victory in the local body elections, on Monday said these results served as a clear message of the public’s rejection of the alleged failures, corruption, anarchy, and “mafia rule” of the Congress government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Celebrating the victory alongside party office-bearers and workers at the BJP headquarters here, Leader of Opposition, Thakur claimed the people of the state were fed up with the government’s false promises, anti-people decisions, and misgovernance.
“Law and order in the state has continuously deteriorated; mafia elements have received patronage, and corruption has hollowed out the administrative machinery. The results of the local body elections have proven that the public has now firmly resolved to oust the Congress government from power,” he said.
Thakur alleged the Chief Minister “is untruthful, and even his own ministers do not trust him. The Chief Minister was aware of the likely election results, which is precisely why he kept evading the polls. Now, unsettled by the outcomes, he is speaking in a manner reminiscent of Mamata Banerjee (former West Bengal Chief Minister). He must accept the mandate delivered today, as well as any future mandates”.
A turnout of 69.16 per cent was recorded in elections to 51 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including four Municipal Corporations, in 10 out of 12 districts held on Sunday.
Hamirpur district recorded the highest voter turnout at around 78 per cent, while Solan district registered the lowest at 64 per cent. Out of 51 ULBs, the results of 25 Municipal Councils and 22 Nagar Panchayat elections, which were not held on party symbols, were declared.
The BJP-backed candidates have won in 20 municipal bodies, while the Congress has won in 17, Independents in five, and the situation is still unclear in five.
Independents will play a key role in electing the chairperson and vice-chairperson.
The election results of the four municipal corporations — Dharamsala, Palampur, Mandi and Solan — will be declared on May 31.
Contrary to the BJP’s claims, the Congress asserted that party-backed candidates have won 31 of the 47 municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats.
Congress Organisation Secretary, Vinod Zinta, said party-backed candidates swept the elections in Kangra and Chamba districts, while party-backed candidates exceeded the BJP’s numbers in Shimla and Sirmaur districts.
Responding to the results, Thakur asserted that this victory “is not merely an electoral success for the BJP, but rather a symbol of the people’s faith in the party and the deep public outrage against the Congress government. The public has completely rejected the Chief Minister’s politics of lies, deception, and propaganda”.
Thakur said the Chief Minister had a premonition of his impending defeat. “This is the very reason why the Congress government consistently evaded the local body elections, and the polls ultimately had to be conducted only after a directive from the court. Now, the election results have made it abundantly clear that the people of the state have become completely disillusioned with the Congress government,” Thakur claimed.
Extending his heartfelt congratulations to all the workers, office-bearers, and supporters who contributed to this victory, Thakur expressed his profound gratitude to the people of the state. He expressed confidence that in the next elections, slated at the end of 2027, the public would extend even greater support to the BJP, thereby delivering a resounding retort to the Congress government.(Agency)
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