Unlike in many other parts of the country where the BJP continues to dominate electoral contests, the Congress has once again demonstrated its resilience in Himachal Pradesh by putting up a strong performance in the urban local body elections held on Sunday. The ruling party has claimed victory in 31 out of 47 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state, describing the outcome as a major endorsement of the Sukhu government ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The results of four municipal corporations are still awaited and will be declared on May 31, but Congress leaders have already projected the civic poll outcome as a political boost for the party.
HPCC organisational secretary Vinod Zinta said Congress-backed candidates won 24 civic bodies independently, while seven others were secured with the support of Independent candidates. He asserted that the party swept all urban local bodies in Kangra and Chamba districts. “We won all six municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Kangra and all three in Chamba,” he said.
According to Congress leaders, the party also outperformed the BJP in Shimla, Sirmaur and Hamirpur districts. Congress-backed candidates reportedly won five out of nine civic bodies in Shimla, two out of three in Sirmaur and both civic bodies in Hamirpur. However, Zinta admitted that the BJP fared better in Una, Bilaspur and Solan districts.
Rejecting the BJP’s claims of victory, Zinta accused the saffron party of making “misleading” statements. “How can the BJP claim a candidate as its own after expelling that person before the elections?” he asked, challenging the BJP to an open debate on the results.
Calling the elections a “semifinal” before the 2027 Assembly polls, Zinta claimed the public had once again placed faith in the Congress and predicted victory in the upcoming municipal corporation elections as well.
Despite the celebratory mood, Congress leaders acknowledged setbacks in Una district and the loss of the Rampur Municipal Council, considered a traditional Congress stronghold. HPCC president Vinay Kumar thanked voters for their support and expressed confidence that the civic poll momentum would carry forward into the 2027 Assembly elections.
