High turnout in HP’s crucial civic elections

Kullu: Voters in Himachal Pradesh turned out in high numbers on Sunday for municipal elections widely seen as a crucial mid-term test for the state's Congress govt ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.The four municipal corporations of Palampur, Mandi, Dharamshala, and Solan recorded an average voter turnout of 63.4%, with 83,342 of the 1,31,369 eligible citizens casting ballots. Women outpaced men in participation across major districts.The State Election Commission reported that Palampur had recorded the highest turnout at 68.9%, followed closely by Mandi at 68.7% and Dharamshala at 60%. Solan registered the lowest participation at 58.3%.The elections have turned into a high-stakes proxy battle between the state's top political figures. Chief minister Sukhwinder Sukhu led the campaign for the incumbent Congress party, while former CM and state's current leader of the opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, spearheaded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign.Thakur capitalised on local discontent during the campaign, attacking the govt's performance and focusing on unemployment, inflation, and the state's fiscal deficit.The vote will test whether Congress can retain its urban strongholds. In the 2021 municipal elections, Congress won majorities in Solan and Palampur, while the BJP took Mandi. Neither party secured an outright majority in Dharamshala, where independent candidates held the balance of power.Turnout within Dharamshala varied drastically by ward. The Sakoh neighborhood reached 73.3% participation, contrastingly sharply with the tourist hub of McLeodganj, which recorded a low of 42%. Results will be declared on May 31.MSID:: 131156295 413 |