An unusual family and political contest marked the first phase of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) elections in Hamirpur district, where an annoyed father jumped into the fray against his own son in the election for the post of Gram Panchayat Pradhan, only to end up with a humiliating tally of five votes.
Ajay Sharma, considered a supporter of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, won the Pradhan election from Gram Panchayat Tillu in Nadaun subdivision by securing 184 votes. He defeated his nearest rival Navdeep Singh by a narrow margin of 11 votes, as Navdeep polled 173 votes.
The election, however, drew attention after Ajay’s father, Santosh Kumar, a staunch BJP supporter, reportedly entered the contest to oppose his son’s victory. Despite entering the race, Santosh could secure only five votes. Political circles in the area discussed the rare father-son rivalry throughout the polling process.
Ajay is considered an experienced grassroots politician, having earlier served as Up-Pradhan of the adjoining Bella Gram Panchayat before parts of Bella GP were merged into the newly constituted Municipal Council. Local residents said Ajay managed to secure victory despite having a limited support base from his own caste community.
Several other Gram Panchayats in the district also witnessed extremely close contests. In Kakar Panchayat of Bhoranj subdivision, Julmi Devi defeated Asha Devi by just two votes, polling 438 against 436. In Bijhri Gram Panchayat of Barsar subdivision, Jyoti edged past Meena by three votes with a tally of 590 against 587.
Similarly, in Manihal Gram Panchayat of Sujanpur subdivision, Vijay defeated Deshraj by three votes, securing 214 votes against 211. In Beri GP, Indira defeated Meena by seven votes, while in Pansai GP of Nadaun subdivision, Ashok defeated Suresh by 14 votes.
Among the biggest winners of the first phase, Shashi Kant of Dhirad Gram Panchayat in Bhoranj subdivision registered a massive victory margin of 1,266 votes by polling 1,321 votes against Mahander’s 155. Pinky won in Drogan Patikot GP by 859 votes, while Rakesh Rani Verma defeated Sharmila in Lohdar GP by 498 votes.
