SHIMLA: An election official said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress emerged as the single largest party in two each of the four municipal corporations which went to polls in Himachal Pradesh. The elections to the civic bodies were held on Wednesday, April 8. Sanjeev Chauhan, State Electoral Officer, said that the ruling BJP emerged as the single largest party in Mandi and Dharamshala whereas Congress managed the majority in Palampur and Solan.
The BJP got clear majority in Mandi, home district of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, which came as the relief for them. The party secured 11 out of 15 wards in the district while Congress won just four seats. In Dharamshala, Congress was short of one seat in securing the clear majority, winning 8 out of the total 17 wards. Congress got five while independent candidates won four of them.
The results have come as a relief to Congress as well, as they got clear majority in Palampur and Solan. The party won 11 out of 15 seats in Palampur and BJP and independent candidates won two seats each. In Solan, the fight was neck to neck where Congress won nine out of 17 wards and BJP secured a win in seven wards.
According to preliminary reports, Mandi recorded the highest voter turnout of 69.20 per cent, followed by 68.8 per cent in Palampur, 62.7 per cent in Dharamshala and 61.6 per cent in Solan.