In a decisive showing, BJP-backed candidates emerged victorious in nine of the 14 zila parishad wards in Kullu district, while Congress-supported candidates secured four seats. Only one Independent candidate claimed victory, according to official results announced yesterday.
The most stunning victory came from the Jeshtha ward in Sainj Valley, where Independent candidate Vibha Singh, daughter-in-law of former MP Maheshwar Singh, won by a massive margin of 8,186 votes, the highest among all contenders.
Congress-backed Girdhari Chauhan pulled off a nail-biting win from Dhaugi ward, prevailing by just 17 votes after a mandatory recount. However, the result has already sparked controversy. Om Prakash, the Independent candidate, who finished as the nearest runner-up, has filed a formal complaint with the Kullu Deputy Commissioner, alleging irregularities in the vote counting process.
The detailed ward-wise breakdown shows that BJP’s Thakur Das won Vashisht by 981 votes, while Anil Rana took Laran Kelo with a lead of 2,456 votes. Other BJP winners included Prakash Chand (Jarad Bhutti Colony), Pinky Devi (Chail), Neena Joshi (Brow), Kusum Lata (Balagad), Nisha Thakur (Mohal), Rajkumar Thakur (Dughilag) and Jindu Devi (Katrain).
Congress victories, apart from Chauhan, included Praveen Thakur (Barshaini, 254 votes), Sunil Kumar (Bakhnao, 953 votes) and Reema Thakur (Lajheri, 1,228 votes).
With complaints already emerging from Dhaugi, the election authorities are likely to review the matter.
