The BJP registered a resounding victory in the Mandi Municipal Corporation (MC) elections, winning 12 out of the 14 seats and retaining control of the civic body for a second-consecutive term. The Congress and an Independent candidate managed to secure one seat each.
The election witnessed keen contests across wards, with BJP candidates dominating most constituencies and securing comfortable margins in several wards.
Polling was held for 14 of the 15 wards of the Municipal Corporation, as residents of the Behna ward boycotted the election over local issues, resulting in no polling in that particular ward.
The lone Independent winner was Congress rebel Alaknanda Handa, who emerged victorious from Ward No. 1 (Khaliyar). Contesting as an Independent candidate, she secured 719 votes and narrowly defeated BJP candidate Ranveer Singh by a margin of 24 votes, who managed to secure 695 votes.
In Ward No. 2 (Purani Mandi), BJP candidate Sarita Handa won a closely-fought contest with 631 votes, edging past Congress candidate Rekha, who secured 620 votes.
Ward No. 3 (Paddal) was won by BJP’s Nirmal Verma, who secured 687 votes against Congress candidate Neelam Sharma’s 568 votes.
Congress registered its only victory in Ward No. 4 (Nela), where Narvada Devi defeated BJP candidate Manju Devi by securing 805 votes against 682 votes.
BJP’s Krishna Thakur won Ward No. 5 (Mangwain) with 789 votes, defeating Congress candidate Rajni Chandra, who managed to get 591 votes.
In Ward No. 6 (Sanyard), BJP candidate Virender Arya secured a convincing victory with 860 votes, while Congress candidate Vinod Kumar received 572 votes.
Ward No. 7 (Talyahar) was won by BJP’s Jitender Kumar, who secured 619 votes against Congress candidate Rupesh Kumar’s 419 votes.
In Ward No. 8 (Palace Colony-I), BJP candidate Gurdeep Kaur won comfortably with 500 votes, while Congress candidate Neemdasi secured 222 votes.
Ward No. 9 (Palace Colony-II) witnessed one of BJP’s biggest victories, with Suman Thakur securing 981 votes. Congress candidate Vinay Sharma trailed behind with 581 votes.
BJP candidate Neha Vardhan emerged victorious from Ward No. 10 (Suhra), securing 779 votes against Congress candidate Sushma Kumari’s 634 votes.
In Ward No. 11 (Samkhetar), BJP’s Jitender Sharma won the seat by securing 860 votes. Congress candidate Gaurav Sharma finished behind in the contest.
Ward No. 12 (Bhagwan) was won by BJP candidate Gagan Kashyap, who secured 636 votes, while his rival Chander Shekhar received 523 votes.
Ward No. 13 (Thanehra) witnessed a landslide victory for BJP’s Rajni Sharma, who secured 977 votes against Congress candidate Geetanjali Sharma’s 368 votes.
In Ward No. 15 (Dhaundhi), BJP candidate Reeta Devi won with 698 votes, defeating Congress candidate Anjay Kumari, who secured 557 votes.
The BJP’s performance marks an improvement over the previous Municipal Corporation elections.
In the last civic polls, the BJP had won 11 out of 15 seats, while Congress had secured four seats. This time, despite elections being held in 14 wards, the BJP increased its tally to 12 seats, underlining its strong support base in the municipal area.
Celebrations erupted amongst the BJP workers and supporters, soon after the results were announced. Party leaders, workers and supporters gathered at the historic Paddal Ground in Mandi to celebrate the emphatic victory.
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur also arrived at Paddal Ground and joined in the celebrations. Congratulating the victorious candidates, he described the results as a reflection of people’s faith in the BJP’s development-oriented policies and governance. He thanked the voters of Mandi for giving the party a decisive mandate and expressed confidence that the newly elected councillors would work for the overall development of the city.
The election results are being viewed as a significant political boost for the BJP in Mandi district and reinforce the party’s dominance in local urban bodies across the region.
