With campaigning for the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation elections ending on Friday evening, the BJP mounted an aggressive last-day push through back-to-back workers’ meetings and ward-wise outreach programmes across the town, while the Congress largely relied on door-to-door contact and small public interactions to woo voters.
Eyeing a return to power in the civic body, the BJP fielded fresh faces in 15 of the 17 wards and ran a high-octane campaign marked by rallies, booth-level mobilisation and frequent public meetings. Senior BJP leaders fanned out across wards through the day to energise workers and consolidate support ahead of polling.
Former minister and Dharamsala MLA Sudhir Sharma said the BJP had taken its campaign directly to the people, projecting the elections as a “contest for change and a generational shift”.
“The BJP has fought this election on the plank of development, transparency and better civic governance. Workers have reached every household,” he said.
The BJP campaign witnessed the active involvement of senior leaders, including Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, state in-charge Shrikant Sharma and Kangra MP Rajeev Bhardwaj, besides several party leaders who addressed rallies and workers’ meetings in support of BJP candidates.
In contrast, the Congress focused on direct voter engagement and ward-level interactions. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and AICC in-charge Rajni Patil joined the campaign on the penultimate day of canvassing and released the party’s manifesto for the MC polls.
The ruling party sought to corner the BJP over alleged corruption, administrative failures and stalled development works during the BJP-backed MC’s tenure.
Shahpur MLA Kewal Singh Pathania said Congress workers had been reaching out to voters door to door to highlight the state government’s achievements and present the party’s roadmap for Dharamsala.
“We have been moving door to door to highlight the state government’s achievements and project our vision for Dharamsala Smart City. Congress is committed to addressing key civic issues, including solid waste management and strengthening basic amenities,” he said.
The campaign witnessed a sharp war of words, with both parties trading allegations over corruption, civic mismanagement and political interference in the MC. While the Congress accused the BJP-backed MC of “tender scams, encroachments and poor governance”, the BJP alleged that the Congress government had stalled development works and failed to address issues such as roads, water supply and sanitation.
The civic polls have also emerged as a prestige battle between the BJP and the Congress because of the bitter political rivalry between Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Sudhir Sharma. The two leaders have remained at loggerheads since Sudhir Sharma switched sides in 2024 and joined the BJP.
In the 2021 MC elections, the BJP had won 10 of the 17 wards. However, it suffered a setback in the 2023 mayoral polls after some councillors cross-voted in favour of the Congress.
