The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrated its emphatic victory in the Mandi Municipal Corporation (MC) elections with a grand victory procession and public celebrations across Mandi town here today, after the party secured 12 of the 14 wards that went to polls and retained control of the civic body for a second consecutive term.
The celebrations began at Paddal Ground, where BJP leaders, workers and supporters gathered in large numbers soon after the election results were declared. A victory procession was later taken out from Paddal Ground through various parts of the town before culminating at the historic Seri Stage in the heart of Mandi.
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur led the celebrations and was joined by BJP MLAs Anil Sharma, Inder Singh Gandhi and Puran Chand Thakur.
Newly elected BJP councillors of the Municipal Corporation also participated in the procession, which witnessed enthusiastic participation from party workers and supporters. Party supporters raised slogans in favour of the BJP leadership and celebrated the victory by bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets. The town wore a festive look as workers danced to the beat of drums and accompanied senior party leaders during the procession.
The BJP won 12 of the 14 wards where polling was held, improving upon its previous tally of 11 seats in the last Municipal Corporation elections. Polling could not be held in Behna ward after residents boycotted the election over local issues.
While the BJP dominated the civic polls, the Congress managed to secure only one ward. Congress candidate Narvada Devi emerged victorious from Ward No. 4 (Nela), defeating BJP’s Manju Devi by securing 805 votes against 682 votes.
The only non-BJP winner apart from Congress was Independent candidate Alaknanda Handa, a Congress rebel, who registered a narrow victory from Ward No. 1 (Khaliyar). She secured 719 votes and defeated BJP candidate Ranveer Singh by a margin of 24 votes.
Among the BJP’s key victories, Suman Thakur secured one of the highest vote counts in Ward No. 9 (Palace Colony-II) with 981 votes, while Rajni Sharma registered a landslide win in Ward No. 13 (Thanehra) with 977 votes. BJP candidates also recorded comfortable victories in several other wards, reflecting the party’s strong organisational presence in the municipal area.
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Box: Winner Party
Ward No. 1 Khaliyar Alaknanda Handa Independent
Ward No. 2 Purani Mandi Sarita Handa (BJP)
Ward No. 3 Paddal Nirmal Verma (BJP)
Ward No. 4 Nela Narvada Devi (Congress)
Ward No. 5 Mangwain Krishna Thakur (BJP)
Ward No. 6 Sanyard Virender Arya (BJP)
Ward No. 7 Talyahar Jitender Kumar (BJP)
Ward No. 8 Palace Colony-I Gurdeep Kaur (BJP)
Ward No. 9 Palace Colony-II Suman Thakur (BJP)
Ward No. 10 Suhra Neha Vardhan (BJP)
Ward No. 11 Samkhetar Jitender Sharma (BJP)
Ward No. 12 Bhagwan Gagan Kashyap (BJP)
Ward No. 13 Thanehra Rajni Sharma (BJP)
Ward No. 14 Behna No polling (election boycott)
Ward No. 15 Reeta Devi (BJP)
